Alexander Malfoy
by grednforge117
Summary: How Draco Malfoy's son helps him fall in love with the most unexpected person. Rated for language and later chapters. R&R.
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Reunion

**Disclaimer: If I had come up with Harry Potter, I would be out celebrating the fact that I am the coolest woman in the world. Sadly, I'm not.**

**Chapter 1: An Unexpected Reunion**

Hermione Granger settled into her seat on the patio of the café, placing her lunch on the table and her bag in the seat next to her. Starving, she dove right into her bowl of pasta, enjoying the rare breeze on a summer day in Diagon Alley. Once finished, her hunger quelled, she reached into her bag and pulled out a book. Glancing around the patio, she spotted a young boy, no older than 5, sitting alone at one of the tables. His white-blond hair and angelic face reminded her of someone, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

_I wonder where his parents are, _Hermione thought, scanning the café for a blond-haired couple. With no success, she immersed herself in her book, reasoning that since the boy looked neither worried nor afraid, he would be all right.

A few chapters later, Hermione looked up and noticed the young boy fidgeting nervously in his seat. Glancing at her watch, she became concerned. _It's been 15 minutes. Where could his parents be?_ Picking up her tray and bag, she made her way over to his table.

"Hi there. I'm Hermione," she introduced. The young boy looked up at her with innocent eyes, and she was struck once again with a sense of recognition.

"My dad says I shouldn't talk to strangers," the boy replied quietly.

"Oh, I understand," Hermione responded. "But where is your father?"

"I dunno. I'm supposed to go shopping with my mum today."

"Oh. Well, where is your mum?"

"I dunno," the boy answered, shrugging his shoulders. "She went to the loo, but hasn't come back yet."

"Do you know where your mum might have gone? What stores she was planning on going to after lunch?" Hermione inquired, shocked at the woman's neglect.

"Mum only said to wait here for her," the boy explained, looking around for his mother.

"Would you like me to wait with you then?" Hermione asked, not wanting to leave the poor child by himself.

Looking relieved, the boy nodded. He stood up in his chair and extended a hand towards Hermione. "I'm Alexander. You can call me Alex, though."

Smiling at Alex's well-mannered introduction, Hermione shook his hand and took a seat next to the young boy.

* * *

Draco Malfoy sat in the Leaky Cauldron sipping his firewhisky, leg shaking nervously. _Where the bloody hell is that woman? She was supposed to be here an hour ago._

Glancing at the door, he finally saw his wife walk through the doors, followed by two house elves holding her shopping bags. _Soon to be ex-wife_, Draco thought, relieved. He waved at her and watched her walk over to him, a look of disgust evident on her aristocratic face.

"God, you know how much I hate this place Draco, yet you insist on coming here," Pansy Parkinson whined.

Looking around her and at the house elves, Draco's heart began to pound. "Pans, where the hell is our son?"

"Would you relax, Draco? Honestly, you think I'm the worst mother in the world. He's right behind me," Pansy replied nonchalantly.

Draco stood up, jaw clenched and eyes dangerously narrowed. "Where," he growled, getting more and more nervous by the second.

Pansy looked around at her house elves and her bags. "Well, he was right behind me."

"You stupid bint! You lost our son somewhere in Diagon Alley?" Draco stormed out of his booth and raced to the door, cloak billowing behind him menacingly. Pansy, realizing the extent of his fury, knew to follow behind him immediately.

"Where was the last time you saw him?" Draco seethed, in a state of utter disbelief at the stupidity of his wife.

"I dunno. I don't remember him being lost. He's so quiet you know."

Draco shot Pansy a glare that made her feel as though she would burst into flames. "I know he was there during lunch. He almost spilled his drink on his new robes."

With that, Draco made his way to the café, easily maneuvering through the crowded streets as the shoppers rushed out of his way in fear.

* * *

Hermione laughed quietly as Alex tried to read her book aloud. She was amazed at how smart he was and how well he could read, especially for a four-year old. _Sorry, 4 and 11 months_, she corrected herself, remembering how adamant Alex was about getting his age correct.

It had been about half an hour since Hermione joined him. In that time, Hermione learned that Alex had lived in Paris for his entire life with his parents. Recently, they separated, and he spent most of his time with his father, who he was very close with. His mother, on the other hand, didn't play much of a part in his life, even when his parents were together. His parents decided to move back to London, their home, in order for him to grow up and be educated in England and Hogwarts when the time came.

"What's that word?" Alex asked, pointing to the book.

Glancing over his shoulder, Hermione read, "Retribution. It means repayment, or revenge."

The two continued to read, eating their ice cream, oblivious to the infuriated blond running down the street across from them.

"Alex!" Draco yelled, frantically searching the café patio.

Alex and Hermione turned in their seats, as well as everyone else sitting in the café.

"Daddy!" Alex cried, jumping out of his seat and running to his father.

_Oh my god. That's why he looked so familiar_, Hermione thought, completely frozen with shock.

Neither had seen each other since the end of the war, when Draco had left the country suddenly. His departure seemed odd, since the ministry had pardoned him because of his immeasurable aid to the Order and Voldemort's defeat.

_I didn't know he had a son_. _Hell, I didn't even know he got married. And to Pansy Parkinson?_

Draco enveloped his son in his arms, flooded with relief to have Alex back in his sight. Putting him down, he looked back at Alex's table, finally noticing who was sitting with his son.

"Daddy, come meet Hermione," Alex exclaimed, pulling his father's hand. "She's really nice. She bought ice cream and read with me while we waited for you."

Draco blanched. _Granger? I haven't seen her in years, and she has to find my kid after Pansy loses him. Great._

"Hermione," Draco greeted, extending a hand.

"Draco," Hermione replied, shaking his hand, remembering how Alex had greeted her in the same fashion.

"Thank you for looking after him, Gr-uh, Hermione. This hasn't ever happened though," Draco clarified, glaring at Pansy behind him.

"It was no problem. Hello Pansy," Hermione said, waving at the affronted woman. Pansy gave her a condescending smirk in return, rolling her eyes and scoffing.

"She works in a bookstore, Dad. Can we go? She said there were stacks and stacks of books, and she could help me find the best ones," Alex pleaded, looking at his father with puppy dog eyes.

"You work at Flourish and Blott's?" Draco asked, trying not to smirk. "That was unexpected."

Hermione blushed, narrowing her eyes at his failed attempt to hide a smirk. "I volunteer there. I'm actually a Healer. But I would love to help Alex find some great books. He's an amazing reader already," she replied, looking down at Alex with a smile.

"Please dad, " Alex pled once again.

"Not today, Alex. But Hermione, do let me pay for the ice cream," Draco offered. "It's the least I can do."

"Don't worry about it. It was no problem at all," Hermione responded.

"Well, I'll pay you back somehow. But we should get going now. It was…good seeing you," Draco said, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yes, you too. And it was great meeting you, Alex," Hermione beamed, shaking his hand once again.

"Bye Hermione!" Alex waved, smiling as he walked away with his father. Pansy, glancing over her shoulder at her retreating family, gave Hermione one last look and turned to leave, her bags following her.

Hermione gathered her book and her bag and made her way to the exit, feeling confused and a little dazed. _Well that was awkward._

* * *

**Hope you liked it. This is probably going to be a kind of long story, unless no one likes it, in which case I'll stop writing and probably fling myself off of a building. Not really, but please read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2: At Flourish and Blotts

**Chapter 2: At Flourish and Blotts**

"Mum, I appreciate the concern, but I don't want to go back to the Manor," Draco argued during lunch with his parents. "It's bad enough being back here now. And I especially don't want Alex to grow up here."

"And why not? Every Malfoy heir has grown up in this Manor since the day it was built," Narcissa replied hotly.

"Yeah, and what a fucked up lot we are. Look, Alex and I will find a nice flat nearby so he can always visit you."

"A flat? Draco, you're not seriously considering living in a flat? What is this sudden desire to live like a bum?"

"Mum, there are plenty of high-class flats around here. Just drop it all right?"

"What will the Parkinsons think? After the messy divorce, you going off to live like a poor man with your child."

"I couldn't give a damn what the Parkinsons think. I'm just glad to be rid of them all."

"Rid of them? But surely the child needs his mother?"

"You don't mean Pansy, do you? The brainless chit who lost him in Diagon Alley? No. I won the custody battle, as I expected, and Alex and I are both better off without her."

"Yes, well, it was lucky that Hermione Granger was there to look after him, isn't it?" Narcissa asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

Draco raised his eyebrow at his mother's insinuation, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "What is wrong with you?" _God, I need to get out of this place._

As if on cue, Alex came running into the parlor where Draco and Narcissa sat, followed closely by Lucius. Lucius, whose brief stint in Azkaban had thoroughly changed his demeanor, was now confined to house arrest, including his various vacation homes. His diminished influence in the Dark Lord's ranks, compounded with his own son's betrayal had forced him to change his outlook on the issue of blood. Though by no means was he a muggle-loving advocate of integration, he no longer harbored strong desires to torture and murder large populations of non-magical folk.

"Dad! Granddad told me that he bought you your first broom on your 5th birthday. Will you be getting me a broom? You promised I would be the best flier in the world, like you. You'll get me a broom, won't you?" Alex pleaded, looking at his father with his innocent eyes.

Draco shot his father a glare. "You'll just have to wait and see. Now get your things son, we're going back to the hotel now."

Alex, realizing his work was done and that he would be receiving a large package in a month's time, ran off to gather his books and toys.

"Honestly, the two of you are going to spoil him rotten," Draco complained, glaring at his parents.

"Well, it's our prerogative as grandparents isn't it?" Narcissa retorted haughtily. "Besides, it's not as though you've made it very easy for us, hiding away in Paris for his baby years."

"I wasn't hiding mother, I was building the business," Draco answered, impatiently glancing at the door, waiting to see Alex.

"And a fine job you did at that, Draco," Lucius praised. "But it is unfortunate that your marriage didn't last. A family man at the head of a business always creates a profitable image for the company."

_Yeah, unfortunate, _Draco thought contemptuously._ You're lucky I didn't murder Pansy in the 5 years we were married. Wife-killer, wonder what kind of image that would create for the company._

At that moment, Alex came into the parlor again, carrying his bag on his shoulders. He ran up to his grandparents, giving them hugs and saying his goodbyes. He then grabbed his father's hand and the two headed towards the fireplace to Floo to their hotel.

"What took you so long?" Draco whispered to Alex, irritated. "Don't you know they're in here talking to me?"

* * *

"Guess who's back in town? You'll never believe it, 'Mione," Ginny Weasley declared, stepping out of the fire into Hermione's living room.

"Malfoy," Hermione replied, not looking away from her television, where she was watching Colin Firth's _Pride and Prejudice_ for, quite possibly, the millionth time.

"No, Mal—how'd you know?" Ginny asked, pouting. "Man, this was the juiciest gossip of the month and you took all of the fun out of it."

Smiling slightly at her friend's unrelenting penchant for gossip, Hermione said, "I ran into him at Diagon Alley."

"Really," Ginny asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "How'd he look?" she asked after a long pause.

"Ginny! You're married to Harry."

"Oh, I know. But you have to admit, 'Mione, he was a good-looking bastard. And after 5 years in Paris…well, you know what Paris does to people." Ginny placed her hand over her forehead, swooning dramatically.

Hermione tossed her pillow at Ginny and paused the movie, laughing as she got up to go to the kitchen. "D'you want any tea, Gin?"

"Sure. So anyway, you may know about Malfoy's return, but did you hear…"

"That he married Pansy Parkinson, had a son, and is now divorced from that pug-faced snob?" Hermione interrupted smugly.

Ginny looked highly affronted. "Well, you are just a killjoy aren't you? How do you know all of this? Don't tell me you and Malfoy had a joyous reunion and spent hours catching up over tea and crumpets?"

Hermione laughed at her friend's ridiculous description. "No, not at all. Actually, I met his son when Pansy left him at the café. I didn't even know he was his son." She handed Ginny her tea and the two sat down at Hermione's kitchen table.

"She left him? I always knew she was a bright one," Ginny quipped sarcastically. "Poor kid. Being raised by a brainless idiot…and then look at his mother."

"Ginny! To be honest, Malfoy seems like he's a really good father," Hermione defended. "He's really protective of Alex, that's his son, and the two of them are really close." She smiled slightly remembering how alike the two of them were.

Ginny raised her eyebrows at her friend's goofy smile. "Sounds like someone's in _luurve_," Ginny teased.

Blushing furiously, Hermione glared at her over-imaginative friend. "God Ginny. Could you be any more immature?"

"Probably, look at the rest of my family."

Laughing at this all-too-true statement, Hermione relaxed slightly, uncomfortable with Ginny's absurd assertion. "Speaking of, where are Ron and Harry?"

"Ha! Finally something you don't know. They're actually where I heard all of this delicious gossip. They are, at the moment, helping the illustrious blond move into his new flat."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, her shock clearly evident on her face.

"Oh yeah," Ginny replied, slowly sipping the rest of her tea.

* * *

"Mia. Darling. For the hundredth time, please go out with me."

"Chris. Baby. For the hundredth time, no."

It had been a long and busy afternoon at Flourish and Blotts, and just as things were dying down, Christopher Hoffman came up to the counter to continue his weekly ritual of pestering Hermione for a date.

"Well, why not?" He inquired, pouting slightly.

Hermione tried to hide a smile at her friend's adorable attempt to sway her. "Let's see. For one, you smoke like a chimney, and you know what a disgusting habit that is. Second, you're Ronald's partner, and that would make your missions way too awkward. And third, because you don't want to date me Chris, you want to sleep with me."

"Now that is just not true. You know I think you're divine," Chris continued, looking down at her with hopeful eyes.

As Hermione laughed, the bell above the door rang loudly, announcing the entrance of new customers.

"Since you two are too busy to pay attention, I guess I'll help the gorgeous hunk of man that just entered," teased Logan Stockwell, Hermione's hopelessly gay coworker.

"Hello Hermione!" Alex called, breaking away from his father to run towards her.

"Alex! How are you?" Hermione asked, pleasantly surprised by his visit.

Draco sauntered over, looking uncomfortable as he approached the two. With her knee-high boots, pleated skirt, button-up shirt with a sweater vest, and horn-rimmed glasses, Hermione looked like any teenage boy's fantasy of a sexy librarian.

_Good lord, how did I not notice her before? _Draco thought, looking her over discreetly. _Shit, this may complicate things._

"So the children's books are all upstairs," Hermione explained, leading Alex and his father towards the stairs.

"I don't need children's books," Alex interjected defensively. "I can read big books too."

"Of course you can," Hermione placated, smiling at the boy's injured pride. _Like father like son, huh? _Hermione thought, glancing at Draco."There are plenty of big books upstairs as well."

"All right," Alex responded. Looking cheerful again, he trotted up the stairs in a hurry.

Hermione laughed. _Oh, how adorable can one kid get?_ She turned to look at Draco, who regarded her with a strange expression. Wanting to end their awkward silence, Hermione followed Alex up the stairs, with Draco close behind.

"Looks like you've got some competition," Logan taunted Chris, playfully nudging him in the ribs.

* * *

Draco wandered aimlessly around the bookstore, bored out of his mind. He left Alex to search for books with Hermione, hoping that if he didn't see her in that skirt, he wouldn't think about her. How wrong he was.

_What the hell is wrong with me_, he reprimanded himself. _This is the bookworm we're talking about. There's nothing appealing about her, except for how she looks in a skirt._

But he knew this wasn't true, having spent a lot of time with her during the war. Know-it-all, bushy-haired bookworm though she was, Draco also knew that she was the smartest witch of her age, brave to the point of recklessness, and very loyal. _Probably why she was sorted into Gryffindor_, he thought with a scowl that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Walking over to the children's section that Hermione passed off as the "big books" section, he found the two poring over a shelf of books, a pile his son's height stacked on the floor next to them. Hermione had her back turned to him, conveniently bent over in order to be at Alex's level, giving Draco a glorious view of her ass. _Oh, come on_, he thought, groaning inwardly.

"Ooh, yes. The BFG is a really good book," Hermione praised. "I still love reading it."

"And what book don't you love to read, Granger?" Draco asked sarcastically, walking over to Alex.

Hermione stood up quickly, fixing Draco with a glare.

"Look, dad. I've found so many good books," Alex exclaimed excitedly.

"I can see that. I think that's enough for now, Alex. We still have to take them home."

Draco looked over the pile of books disapprovingly. "Jeez, Granger, lay off of the books a little. I don't want you turning my son into a bookworm like yourself."

The two turned to look at Alex, who was struggling to pick up his staggering pile of books all at once. Looking back at Draco, Hermione smirked proudly. "I think you're a little late for that one, Malfoy," she quipped, walking over to help Alex carry his load.

Watching as she walked away towards the cash register, chatting merrily with Alex, Draco closed his eyes.

_Merlin help me, _he thought, pulling out his bag of coins.

* * *

**Thanks for all of the reviews so far. I know this chapter was kind of slow, but I wanted to give some background on the characters. I think it's a general consensus that Alex is adorable. He's based off of my little cousin, who is quite possibly the cutest thing in the entire world. R&R please!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Birthday Party

**Chapter 3: The Birthday Party**

"So good to see you again Mr. Zabini." Hermione entered Blaise Zabini's ward at St. Mungo's, carrying her wand and Blaise's chart. "This is your, what, 4th visit this month?" Hermione asked, looking over the chart that was the size of a small magazine.

"And yet you insist on calling me Mr. Zabini," he replied. "The name's Blaise, love."

"I'm not your love, Mr. Zabini, I'm your Healer," Hermione said shortly, though she never really minded Blaise's flirtatious behavior. "Now let's take a look at your arm."

Hermione extended Blaise's arm, prodding it with her wand to determine where exactly the fracture was.

"So how did this happen again?" she inquired, finally locating the break.

Blaise winced slightly. "One of the downfalls of being a professional Quidditch player. However, the benefits greatly outweigh those, wouldn't you say, Hermione?" he asked, grinning roguishly.

Just as Hermione was about to respond with a sarcastic remark, the toilet flushed inside the ward bathroom.

"Bloody hell that bathroom was small. You'd think because you're incapacitated, they'd give you a little bit of room in the loo," Draco complained, stepping of the tiny stall. He blanched as he looked back at his friend and his Healer.

"The bathrooms are bigger in other wards, Malfoy, but seeing as how Blaise will be out in about an hour, we figured this room would suffice. You're welcome to use the loo in the other wards if you'd feel more comfortable there," Hermione countered, smiling inwardly at Draco's shock and discomfort.

"Granger. Of course you're his Healer," Draco said dryly, giving Blaise a glare that read 'You could have said something!' _Just my fucking luck_.

Blaise just shrugged, grinning like a madman. "Did I not tell you? She's the best there is," he said looking over at Hermione.

She blushed furiously, quickly uttering the spell to fix his arm. As the bone snapped back into place, Hermione wrapped his arm in gauze to protect the newly healed area.

"I'll take a wild guess and say you don't want the temporary cast," Hermione asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.

"Of course not. It would interfere with my Quidditch practices, as well as other activities," Blaise responded with a lecherous wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes, heading towards the door. "Just be careful. I'd like a week to pass before you're in here again."

"You know you love my visits, Hermione, so don't pretend otherwise," Blaise flirted, smirking at her resigned glare.

"I'll see you around Malfoy," Hermione said, turning towards Draco. "Say hi to Alex for me, won't you?"

"Yeah. I will," Draco replied awkwardly. "Actually, about that. He's having a birthday party next Saturday and he…um…he wants you to go…so?"

"Oh," Hermione gasped, caught off guard by Malfoy's inelegant invitation. "Of course. When will it be?"

"5:30, at my flat. It'll be mostly 5 year-olds though, save for Blaise and I, and my parents."

_So completely awkward for me then?_ Hermione thought. "All right. Well, tell him I'll be there."

Draco nodded, and Hermione gave him an uneasy smile before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Draco turned back to Blaise, who seemed to be having trouble moving.

"What is it?" Draco asked, panicked. "Are you having a seizure or something?"

"Can't…Move…" Blaise strained out, struggling to move his arms and legs.

"Shit! Should I call Granger back? Why can't you move?"

"Too…Much…Sexual…Tension…" he answered, starting to laugh. "I can feel it…weighing me down."

Draco relaxed only to punch his so-called friend in the uninjured arm. "Bloody arse," he growled, as Blaise clutched his sides and rolled around in laughter.

* * *

"…So now I have to go to Alex's birthday party on Saturday," Hermione explained after recounting the entire episode to Ginny.

The two were in Hermione's room as she rifled through her closet, throwing garments every which way. Ginny laughed from her position on Hermione's bed. "Oh, this is way too good!" she exclaimed giddily.

"Ginny, I need your help! What does one wear to a 5 year old's birthday party?" Hermione cried desperately.

"I guess that depends," Ginny replied thoughtfully.

"On what?" Hermione asked, popping her head out of her closet.

"On whether one is dressing for the 5 year old," Ginny began, a smug grin creeping onto her face, "or the 5 year old's delicious-looking father."

Hermione scoffed, narrowing her eyes at her redheaded friend and throwing a pile of trousers at her. "I am NOT in love with Draco Malfoy!" she yelled.

At this, the two intruders on Hermione's bedroom froze.

"Do I even want to know what this is about?" Ron Weasley asked, looking as though he would much rather be anywhere else at the moment.

"Nothing much," Ginny shrugged as Harry joined his wife on Hermione's bed. "Hermione's just choosing an outfit to wear to Malfoy's son's birthday party. Oh, and she's in denial."

Hermione growled. "I'm not in denial. Nor am I harboring any romantic illusions with Malfoy. I am simply humoring a 5 year old boy who happens to be the sweetest kid in the world."

"You're going to Alex's birthday party?" Harry asked, intrigued. "That's surprising. Ron and I helped him move, and we never even met the kid. I was beginning to wonder if he even existed."

"Of course he exists. He's adorable," Hermione replied, smiling again as she always did when thinking of Alex.

Ron looked at her expression with confusion. "How come Malfoy let you meet his son and not us? He's nicer to us than he ever was to you."

"Ronald, you have about as much tact as a Nazi storm trooper," Hermione said icily.

Wrapping his arms around his friend's waist, Ron gave her a lop-sided smile. "Sorry, 'Mione. I just meant to say…wait. What's a Nazi storm trooper?"

Laughing, Hermione slid out of his grasp and began cleaning up her room. "Never mind, Ron. Anyway, I also need help with an idea for a gift. And since you two were once young boys, I figured you could help," Hermione said, looking at Harry and Ron pointedly.

"With a 5 year old in the wizard community, I think you'll be safe if you get him anything Quidditch related," Harry answered, laying back.

Ron and Ginny both nodded. _Quidditch related? Because I'm the resident expert on Quidditch_, Hermione thought. _I suppose I could just get him a book or something_.

"So," Ron interjected, breaking Hermione out of her reverie. "Have you got anything to eat?"

* * *

Draco closed his eyes, bringing his hands up to his forehead to massage his temples. _Good idea, Draco_, he thought to himself. _Invite 30 5 year olds to your flat and fill them up with sugar and soda. Bloody brilliant_.

"You look like you're having the time of your life," Blaise teased, offering his friend a drink.

Grunting in reply, Draco shook his head. "I don't want any soda, Blaise."

Blaise grinned cheekily. "It isn't soda, Drake."

Smirking, Draco took the cup and nearly cried in relief as he felt firewhisky slide down his throat. "You're a lifesaver mate."

Blaise nodded knowingly, and asked, "So how long d'you think it'll be until one of these little monsters causes another bodily harm?"

The doorbell rang, and Draco hesitated to open it, fearing that there were more "monsters" on the other side.

"Granger," Draco greeted, a little shocked. "I wasn't sure if you were coming."

Hermione smiled uncomfortably and entered. "I apologize, I was held up at St. Mungo's."

Draco nodded, taking her cloak and present and closing the door. He handed both to a nearby house elf and led Hermione into the living room towards Alex.

She glanced at Draco as the two walked. He was dressed quite nicely, in black slacks and a charcoal dress shirt that brought out his storm-grey eyes. He looked exactly like the "delicious-looking father" Ginny had described. _Whoa, where the hell did that come from?_ she thought, mentally berating herself.

"Alex should be around here somewhere," Draco said to fill the uncomfortable silence.

Hermione nodded and glanced around at the children, giving him the opportunity to look at her. She wore a v-necked shirt that clung to her petite frame, with a knee-length skirt and sandals. _Bloody hell, not another skirt_, Draco thought.

At that moment, Alex came rushing over, saving the two from their awkward situation.

"Hermione!" Alex cried, giving her a big hug. "I didn't know you were coming. I asked Dad if you could, but he didn't seem to like the idea of asking you."

Draco narrowed his eyes at his son, looking away as Hermione turned towards him.

"Well, he did, and I'm glad I came. Happy Birthday," she said, giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"I want you to meet my friends," Alex cried excitedly, grabbing her hand and dragging her away from his father.

Blaise joined Draco, once again handing him a drink. Draco grabbed it, chugging it down in one gulp before refilling it magically. Blaise smirked at the obvious attraction between the two former enemies._Smart child that Alex_, he thought, taking a sip from his own cup.

* * *

After a few minutes, Hermione joined Blaise and Draco again, maneuvering through hordes of sugar-high, hyper children.

"Hey Hermione," Blaise called. "Fed up with the little children and come to join us big ones?"

"Precisely," Hermione laughed. "Their games are really only fun if you're also 5. So how's your arm doing?"

"Back to normal, thanks to you doc," Blaise replied, smiling down at her.

Hermione smiled back, then suddenly narrowed her eyes at the two. "Are the two of you drinking firewhisky?" she whispered, glancing at their cups.

Draco and Blaise both smirked at her incredulous expression, confirming her suspicions.

"You're drinking firewhisky at your son's birthday party," she repeated disbelievingly, pointing at Draco, "surrounded by 5 year old children?"

"Which is exactly why we need firewhisky, Granger," Draco quipped. "Would you like some?"

Hermione gave him a stern look that made him wonder whether she took lessons with McGonagall.

At that moment, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy entered through the fireplace, making their way over to Draco, Blaise, and Hermione. The three suddenly tensed, as Lucius noticed the girl and squinted to determine who it was. As recognition dawned on his face, Hermione looked at Draco, worried.

"Draco," Narcissa greeted. "Blaise, so wonderful to see you again." She turned to Hermione, who stood up straight and extended a hand. Narcissa took it, smiling at her manners. "Miss Granger, I don't believer we've ever formally met."

"No, not formally, Mrs. Malfoy. And please, call me Hermione."

"Yes, of course Hermione," Narcissa repeated, glancing over at Draco, her eyes twinkling. Draco scowled at her, nervously looking at his father.

Lucius stepped out from behind his wife, nodding at Draco and Blaise in greeting. He took the hand Hermione extended again and shook it quickly. The tension among their group was palpable, and Draco wished nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

Like a miracle, Alex came running over to greet his grandparents, giving them both hugs. Lucius turned to pick up his grandson and hand him his gift. As their discomfort ebbed, and Draco, Blaise, and Hermione began to relax, Narcissa turned back to the boys, glaring.

"Draco, are you drinking firewhisky?" she demanded sharply.

* * *

Alex ripped through the wrapping of his gift, eyes lighting up as he pulled out a brand-new set of Quidditch robes.

"Wicked!" he gasped, throwing them on and running over to his father. Draco was sprawled on the couch, nursing his throbbing headache. The party had ended a half-hour ago, and Alex began to open his gifts the second his last guest left. A pile of assorted toys lay beside the couch, as well as a brand-new Firebolt 2007, Alex's broom courtesy of his father.

"Dad, look at these wicked robes!" Alex cried, displaying his new robes for his father.

Draco lifted the arm draped over his eyes and opened one eye to look at his son.

"Yes, they're great Alex. Now let Dad sleep, my head feels like its about to burst."

Alex looked down at his father's stretched out state, shaking his head. He picked up the last gift, the only one with a hand-made card with a note inside.

"This one's from Hermione," Alex said, looking over at his father.

Draco raised his arm again, peering at the box-like gift. "It's probably a book," he said dismissively.

Alex tore open the wrapper, revealing a glossy leather box. "Whoa," he breathed, eyes wide.

Draco opened his eyes, reluctantly getting up to see what Hermione had gotten Alex that elicited such a response.

_Quality Quidditch Supplies_ was stitched into the lid of the box in gold thread. Underneath, in official writing was written PROPERTY OF ALEXANDER MALFOY. Alex opened the latch and lifted the lid to find a complete set of Quidditch balls, including two beater bats and even a golden snitch.

"Wicked," Alex gasped again.

Draco's eyebrows shot up, amazed at Hermione's ability to give such a perfect gift, and an expensive one at that. He picked up the note she had written.

Dear Alex,

Happy 5th Birthday! Welcome to adulthood! Thank you for inviting me to your birthday party, I was glad to share the day with you. I wasn't sure what to give you, never having shopped for a 5 year old before. I thought I would give you a book, but I'm sure you have plenty of those already. Besides, your father doesn't seem to enjoy this influence I've had on you.

Draco smirked at this. _I knew she at least thought about giving him a book_.

I figured you have a broom, so I thought, what would the greatest flier in the world need apart from a broom? Enjoy the gift; hopefully you don't already have a set.

Love,

Hermione

P.S. – Do be careful and fly very close to the ground.

He put the card down, smiling slightly at Hermione's discomfort with flying.

"She's so cool!" Alex gushed, running his hands over the plush lining inside the case.

Draco looked at his son then back at the gift. He picked up the card again, rereading it. Love? he thought. He became engrossed in his thoughts, not noticing the look his son was giving him.

"Dad?" Alex questioned, bringing Draco back to reality.

He looked down at his son, who yawned widely. "Let's get you to bed, Alex. You've had a long day," he said, picking him up.

"Can we play Quidditch tomorrow?" Alex asked sleepily, already beginning to nod off.

"We'll see," Draco replied, his mind still caught up on a certain brown-haired Gryffindor.

* * *

**That was kind of long. Thanks for all of the support so far. I promise not to dwindle off in return.**

**Anyway, I'm a review whore. Please please me!**


	4. Chapter 4: Heart to Heart

**Chapter 4: A Heart to Heart**

Hermione sat in the Leaky Cauldron, sipping her butterbeer and drumming her fingers on the tabletop. She had just finished an exhausting 7-hour graveyard shift at St. Mungo's and was meeting Ron for a few drinks before going home. _Mmm, home, _she thought, aching to sink into a warm bubble bath.

"Hey 'Mione," Ron greeted, giving her a kiss on the cheek before plopping into the seat across from her. "You look tired."

"Long day," she replied wearily. "So what's the big news?"

Ron fidgeted in his seat, looking as though he would throw up soon. "I'm gonna propose to Parv," he blurted out quickly.

Hermione gasped, jumping out of her seat to give him a hug. "That's amazing, Ronald! I'm so happy for you!" She was so excited for Ron and his long-time girlfriend Parvati Patel to get married at last.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, looking slightly relieved. "You are?"

Hermione broke away, giving him a curious glance. "What do you mean 'you are'? What did you expect?"

"Well no, I wasn't sure. I mean, you've always been supportive of us, but I was afraid…you know, because of our history…you might be, I don't know, mad or something."

"Of course not, Ron. I'm so excited for you. Have you told everyone else yet?"

"No, just you. And the Patels, but that was to ask them for permission. I'll tell Harry and Gin soon, and of course Mum and Dad. But the rest of them, I don't know how to tell them. They'll take the mickey out of me for sure."

"Don't worry about them. They like to make fun of you, but they're your brothers. They'll be supportive eventually," Hermione consoled.

"Yeah, when they've run out of material to mock me with," Ron said glumly.

Hermione laughed, giving him another big hug. She couldn't believe how much her immature, clumsy friend had grown up. Granted he was still rather immature, and oblivious to the point where she wondered if he knew where he was half of the time, but she was proud of him. And she knew he would make a great husband, and one day, a great father.

"You'll help me shop for a ring, won't you 'Mione?" Ron asked hopefully.

"Of course, Ron. Do you know what size her finger is?"

Ron's face scrunched up in confusion. "There are different sizes? I thought it was like, one size fits all."

"No, Ron," Hermione said in disbelief. "You have to find out her ring size by taking one of her rings and getting it sized."

"I'm supposed to take it off of her finger? How do I do that without letting her know what I'm doing?"

"Ron, you don't take it from her hand. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how you became such a successful Auror. Just take one from her jewelry box, size it, then put it back," she explained.

"Oh," he replied, looking relieved. "I thought you expected me to pull off her finger or something."

She stared at him incredulously, not believing he had just said that. "Oh god Ron, I'll help you."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Hermione began to gather her things to leave. Ron had left a few minutes earlier to get to the Ministry. As she walked towards the exit, she noticed a familiar blond head at a booth nearby.

"Malfoy?" she asked, nearing him. "What are you doing here so early?"

Draco turned around, startled by her presence. "I could ask you the same thing, Granger."

"Well I was meeting Ron for a quick talk before going home. I just finished a long shift at St. Mungo's. You?" Hermione repeated.

_That's what she looks like after hours spent with sick and dying people. Un-fucking-believable, _Draco thought.

"Draco?" Hermione called, waving her hand in front of his face.

His name coming from her lips jolted him out of his thoughts, and he looked back at her face. "What?" he asked.

"I don't know. You just kind of spaced out. So what are you doing here so early?" she questioned for the third time.

Draco turned back in his booth, glancing at his glass. Hermione took this as an invitation to join him and slid into the seat across from him.

"Well?" she prodded, looking at him expectantly.

"I just dropped Alex off at his first day of school," Draco said, pointedly looking everywhere but at her.

Hermione tried unsuccessfully to hide her smile. _Aww, how adorable. He misses Alex already. When did the Slytherin Sex God turn into such a sweet and caring father? _She glanced at him, thinking how cute he looked when he scowled and shifted in his seat; he was just like a little boy who left his best friend.

Draco looked up, seeing Hermione looking back at him with a smile, hands over her heart.

"Ugh, don't look at me like that Granger," Malfoy said, disgusted with himself.

Hermione laughed at this. "Oh, it's just so sw—"

"Don't even say the 's' word," Draco growled, feeling his masculinity diminish as he spoke. "It's not any of that. I'm just angry."

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"None of your business," he replied sharply.

Hermione was taken aback by his harsh tone. Remembering the old Malfoy, she stood and slipped out of the booth.

"All right, Malfoy," she said curtly, walking away.

Draco caught her wrist, stopping her before she could get past the booth. He looked up at her, the sharp lines of anger no longer marring his face.

"Granger, I'm…just sit down will you?" he asked, unable to actually apologize.

Hermione took a seat in the booth again, trying to ignore the sparks that ran through her when they touched. She sat down, crossing her arms and legs, glaring at the man across from her. Draco fidgeted nervously, once again looking around at anything but Hermione. Confused by his reversion back to new Draco, Hermione leaned forward.

"What's wrong, Draco?" Hermione asked kindly.

"If I tell you, you have to swear you won't laugh, or make that stupid smile again. And no using the 's' word, got it? In fact, pretend you're not a girl so you don't do anything girls do, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, eager to hear his problem.

Draco sighed, looking down at his now empty glass. "When I went to drop him off at school, he just ran off to find his friends. Immediately. No kiss, no hug, no nothing. He didn't even look back. Ungrateful little wretch," he growled.

Hermione bit her lip to keep from breaking her promise by smiling and crying, 'How sweet!' Draco glared at her, knowing full well that she was doing exactly what he said she couldn't, in her mind.

"Look, he's not ungrateful," she consoled, "he's just excited. Alex has been waiting for this day for a while. He's told me about it countless times in the few times we've met. He still loves you, and when he gets back from school, I'm sure he'll want to tell you every single detail."

Draco frowned at this. "Every single detail?" Hermione nodded, smiling slightly. "Damn it," he groaned, slamming his head on the table.

Hermione laughed at this, patting him soothingly on the hand. He looked up and the two locked eyes. She looked away uncomfortably, quickly pulling her hand away from his. "Sorry about that," she muttered, mentally slapping herself for ruining the mood.

_Idiot, you just ruined it! Real smooth_, Draco berated himself. "So what were you and Weasley talking about?" he asked, attempting to break the awkward silence.

Hermione's eyes brightened again as she turned back to him. "Oh," she started excitedly. "Well, I don't know if I'm allowed to tell people yet, but Ron is going to propose to Parvati!"

"Really?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "But I thought you and him were…"

"Oh no," she replied quickly, shaking her head vigorously. "Well we were at one point, but he's been with Parvati for a few years now. I'm really happy for them."

"Really?" Draco asked, smirking slightly.

"Yes, Malfoy," she answered, narrowing her eyes. "You're doing so well, don't ruin it by being a prat now."

"Right. So can I ask what happened?"

Hermione looked at him suspiciously. "Why the sudden interest in my love life?"

"What?" he cried defensively. "I've no interest in your love life, Granger."

"Oh," she replied skeptically. "So you're interested in Ron's love life then?" Hermione asked, smirking back at him.

It was Draco's turn to glare at her. "You're doing so well, Granger. Don't ruin it by being a smart ass."

Laughing, Hermione sat up. "We were together right after the war, and everyone assumed we were headed straight for the altar, like Harry and Ginny. But it was just…not right. It seemed uncomfortable and forced, like we were together because everyone expected it, not because we loved each other. I mean, we did love each other, but not like that. It was a mutual thing. We just knew we weren't meant for each other, so we broke up. Our friendship has never been better though."

Draco nodded silently, taking a sip of his refilled glass of firewhisky.

Hermione looked at him curiously, wondering how far she could push his somewhat good mood. "Can I ask you a personal question, Malfoy?"

He nodded again, looking apprehensive at what she might ask.

"Why did you marry Pansy? I mean I know she's a Slytherin, and a pureblood, but…I don't know. She just doesn't seem like your type."

Draco smirked. "Why the sudden interest in my love life, Granger? And how would you know what my type is?"

"Malfoy," Hermione said warningly.

Putting his glass down, Draco looked back at her, dropping his smirk. "She was pregnant, I was the father. That was it," he said after a while.

"Oh," she replied, a little shocked at his bluntness. "But why did you move to Paris?"

"For the business. And also to get away from the rumors. I didn't want my kid to grow up in a place that would look at him with disdain."

"You were pardoned though. And even your father helped the Order succeed in the end," Hermione countered.

"Does it really matter?" Draco asked, looking at her with a serious expression. "Both of our fathers were Death Eaters. Hell, I'm an ex-Death Eater, Granger. I didn't want him to be exposed to that from the beginning."

Hermione looked down at her hands, not realizing how difficult life could have been for Alex, and difficult it still might be.

"But you're right," Draco started, bringing her out of her thoughts. "She's not my type. Too whiny and stupid. My parents couldn't have been happier though. Lucius especially. They were too excited to have an heir to the family name. Fortunately, though, Alex seems to take after my side of the family, and not hers," he said with a small smile.

Hermione smiled back at him. "So you do take intelligence into consideration?" she asked after a long pause.

"Why?" he asked, his smile turning into a smirk. "You weighing your chances with me?"

Hermione's blush rivaled that of Ron's. "What? No!" she cried indignantly. "God Malfoy, how do make it through doorways with an ego as large as yours?"

Draco laughed at the usually composed Gryffindor's discomfort. "Relax Granger. I was only joking."

She only glared at him, trying to hide her smile and the butterflies in her stomach at the sound of his laugh. _I don't think I've ever heard him do that. Not genuinely anyway._

Draco stared back at her, swirling the contents of his glass before downing the remaining drops. _God, how does she look cute when she's glaring daggers at me? Fuck, I'm in deep._

The two broke out of their thoughts as Hermione yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. Glancing at his watch, Draco realized he was supposed to be at the office a half hour ago. _Benefits of owning the company_, he thought.

"Well I suppose I should go," Hermione said, inexplicably sad to be leaving, when only an hour ago, she couldn't wait to be home.

"Right, me too," Draco said, getting up.

"Good luck with Alex, then," she said, looking up at him.

"Speaking of Alex," Draco began abruptly, "you shouldn't have gotten him such a lavish gift. It really wasn't necessary."

"Don't worry about it," Hermione argued. "I have a friend on the inside. He works at _Quality Quidditch Supplies_, and he 'hooks me up' as they say," she said, smiling.

"Who?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

She bit her lip, with an embarrassed grin. "Percy," she said with a laugh and, waving goodbye, she walked towards the doors.

Draco watched her leave, shrugging on his cloak slowly. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, and headed towards the bar to pay his tab.

As she reached the doors, Hermione stopped, looking back at Draco. She sighed deeply, then opened the doors, letting the heat of the summer day hit her immediately.

_Ginny was right. Ugh, I hate it when Ginny's right_.

* * *

**Sorry there was no Alex in this one, I wanted to develop their relationship backgrounds. You know what to do.**

**BTW, I wouldn't mind a little constructive criticism, constructive being the key word. Not that I'm complaining about the rave reviews. I mean, who hates to hear that people think they're awesome. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5: Babysitting a Malfoy

**Chapter 5: Babysitting a Malfoy**

"And then after we cleaned those up, it was reading time, and the teacher began to read to us, and she was amazed when I started to read along!" Alex continued excitedly. He had just finished his first day of school, and was eating dinner with his father.

"Of course she was amazed. You are a Malfoy after all," Draco praised smugly. Despite his slight irritation that Alex had been talking nonstop after coming home, he was immensely proud of his son's successful first day of school.

"I know. You can meet her, Daddy. On Back to School Night. It's this Thursday night," Alex explained, handing Draco a slip of paper explaining the event.

"Back to School Night?" Draco asked with dread. "I don't think this is for you Alex. You're not going 'back' to school; this is your first time."

Alex laughed at his father's displeasure. "Don't be silly, Daddy. It's not for me. It's for you. Children aren't allowed to come. It's only for the parents."

"And what am I supposed to do, leave you at home all night? What are your teachers thinking?"

"I can stay with Grandmum and Granddad. You have to go, Daddy," Alex pleaded, wanting his father to meet his new teacher and see his school.

"You can't. Grandmum and Granddad are away on vacation in Italy," Draco replied, smirking at his son's attempt to manipulate him. "And Blaise is away on a business trip," he added, knowing that would be Alex's next argument.

Alex looked down at his plate sullenly, eyes welling up with tears. "Don't you want to see my teacher, and where I will be spending the next 5 years of my life?"

Draco cracked, picking him up and placing him on his lap. "I wish I could Alex. And if there was anyone who would look after you, I would go immediately. But there isn't, son," he said soothingly, wiping away Alex's tears.

Suddenly, Alex's head shot up, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "What about Hermione?"

Draco froze. His eyes widened, then narrowed into slits. _What is he playing at?_ he thought.

"Alex, we can't ask Gran – Hermione to baby-sit you out of the blue. Besides, I don't know if she would want to," Draco argued.

"Of course she will," Alex replied, smiling mischievously. "She loves me. And then you can go to my Back to School Night. It's perfect!"

Draco pondered this for a moment. "I guess so," he said reluctantly.

"So you'll ask her?" Alex asked hopefully.

Staring at his son in amazement, Draco couldn't help but notice how similar the two of them were. _I just got outsmarted by a 5 year old. I guess I should be proud though._

He nodded, and with that, Alex gave him a peck on the cheek and ran off to his room with glee. _Here we go again, _Draco thought, slightly annoyed, but secretly glad to have an excuse to talk to Hermione again.

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Hermione sighed, leaning back into her chair, relishing the hot, sweet liquid sliding down her throat. She put her cappuccino down on her desk and closed her eyes, glad to have a moment to relax by herself. She loved her job, but it was extremely taxing, and she needed time to cool off or else she would go crazy.

Someone knocked on her office door, bringing her out of her moment. Groaning slightly, she opened her eyes and sat up in her chair. "Come in," she called, and her guest entered.

"Malfoy!" she cried, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too, Granger," he said with a smirk. "Am I to just stand here, or am I allowed to come in?"

Hermione nodded, gesturing for him to sit in one of the plush chairs opposite her desk. Her heart, which was calm only moments ago, was racing inexplicably. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and got out of her seat.

"Would you like something to drink, Malfoy?" she asked. "Tea? Coffee? I don't really have anything else."

"I'm fine, Granger. You can sit back down."

Draco looked around her office. It wasn't enormous, but it wasn't minuscule either. The back wall had bookshelves from the floor to the ceiling, and they were overfilling with Hermione's collection. She had more tomes piled on her desk, along with several pictures of her with the Weasleys, Harry, and other members of the Order. Something inside him stirred while looking at the photographs.

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated, waving her hands in front of his face once again.

"Sorry, Granger. I must have spaced out for a second," he replied, slightly embarrassed.

Hermione laughed lightly. "You seem to do that a lot."

_Only around you_, Draco thought, looking back at her.

"So what brings you here?" she asked again. "Everything's alright I hope?"

"Everything's fine," he answered. "Alex had an amazing first day; he's already the star of his class. His teacher loves him, and he's ahead of most of the other kids."

Hermione smiled at Draco's proud expression. "Well of course. He is a Malfoy after all," she said jokingly.

He smirked at her, ignoring her mocking tone. "Of course," he continued. "So his school is having a Come Back to School gathering, or something like that this Thursday."

"Back to School Night?" she corrected.

"Yeah, whatever. How did you know that?" he asked, amazed.

"I used to go to school, too, you know. Besides, my friend is a teacher and she told me about it.

"Oh, I thought you were going to say you read about it in a book," Draco said teasingly.

She glared at him, which would have been convincing if she hadn't laughed at the same time.

"Anyway, I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor," he started.

She looked at him, surprised. "First you insult me, then you ask for a favor. You don't do this very often, do you Malfoy?"

"Does that mean you won't help me?" he asked, smiling charmingly.

Hermione tried to ignore the beat her heart just skipped. "Depends, what is the favor?"

"Well, Alex can't come with me to Back to School Night, because the idiots at his school don't allow children to come. I would ask my mum and Lucius to baby-sit, but they're in Italy. And Blaise is in Dublin. So I was wondering…since you and Alex get along so well, if you would baby-sit him. I would pay you whatever babysitting costs these days."

"Bringing your son into the argument. You're shameless, Malfoy," she answered, smiling. "I'll do it, but I won't let you pay me."

"Granger," Draco started.

"No. It's my pleasure. I won't do it if you insist on paying me."

"Stubborn Gryffindor," he growled, but accepted anyway. "Can you be at my flat by 6:45?"

She nodded, and Draco thanked her and got up to leave. Hermione watched him walk away, admiring the view until he reached the door. He turned around, and she looked up, blushing furiously.

"By the way, Granger, you've got a little bit of foam right there," Draco said, pointing to his own cheek.

She turned even redder if possible and wiped the foam off quickly. Draco turned and left, smirking at her blushing form, disregarding his urge to wipe the foam off of her face himself. And not with his hand.

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Hermione brushed herself off as she stepped out of the fireplace of Draco's flat. She was welcomed by a small house-elf, who was bowing so low that she couldn't see his…or her…or its face.

"Umm, hello," she greeted, uncomfortable and unsure how to respond to the bowing creature. She had long abandoned S.P.E.W., but she was still fervently opposed to enslaving elves.

The elf looked up shocked, then looked down at its feet again, with its arms extended.

Confused, Hermione waited for him, as she discovered when he looked up, to say something. When he didn't move, she asked, "What am I supposed to do?"

"Your cloak Miss," the elf responded without looking up. "And would Miss like any beverages or sustenance?"

_Trust Malfoy to find a house-elf with a vocabulary rivaling that of his own_, she thought amusedly.

"Oh, no thank you. It's all right. I can put it away on my own," Hermione answered kindly, kneeling down to his level. "And please, call me Hermione. What is your name?"

The elf looked up, shocked once again. His eyes were wide, brimming with tears. Then, all of a sudden, he ran over to the wall and began banging his head against it.

Hermione was stunned. She ran over to the elf and tried to make him stop abusing himself.

"Oh, please don't do that," she cried desperately. "I'll give you my cloak. And you can call me 'Miss' again. Stop doing that, please!"

"Miss…is…dis…appointed…with…Butler's…services," the elf shouted between hits.

"No, Miss isn't!" Hermione argued. "Shit! Oh, please stop that! Here! Here's my cloak, and please get me some tea," she ordered, hoping this would console him.

Butler stopped banging his head on the wall and took Hermione's cloak. "What type of tea would Miss like? Earl Grey? Jasmine? Lapsang Oolong?"

"What the bloody hell is all of that racket?" Draco yelled, finally coming to his living room. He looked between Hermione's frazzled state and Butler's tears, comprehension dawning on his face. He smirked yet again.

"You're only here for two minutes, and you're already terrorizing my house-elves?" he said to Hermione. "Butler, get her some Earl Grey."

With a loud crack, Butler was gone. "Well, maybe if you treated your house-elves better, they wouldn't be terrorized when someone was nice to them," Hermione retorted, scowling.

"I treat them fine. I pay them better than anyone else would. But they're still house-elves; they don't interact with wizards and witches by choice," Draco explained.

She looked up at him suspiciously. "You pay your house-elves?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Would you enter this flat if I didn't?" he asked, knowing her answer full well. He turned and started walking out of the living room, beckoning her to follow.

_Wow_, she thought. _He's changed so much. He's like a whole new person_.

"Granger!" Draco barked, finally noticing she hadn't followed him.

_Okay, so not a whole new person. _She rushed out of the enormous living room into the hall, catching up with Draco.

The hall was just as elegant as the living room, and led to all of the rooms on the lower floor. In the middle, there was a grand staircase leading to the bedrooms on the second level. As Hermione entered the hall, Alex came running down the stairs in his pajamas, his wet hair all over the place.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed, jumping into her arms.

She laughed, hugging him tightly. "How have you been?"

"Oh, excellent! I love my school! And my teacher and friends! I'm learning so much already, and the teacher is so proud of how many books I've read already. I told her about you, you know," Alex answered, looking up at her.

Hermione blushed slightly. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying everything."

"Yeah, and Daddy's going to go tonight and meet everyone," he continued excitedly.

Draco gave a resigned sigh, glaring at Alex. "All right, I have to head off now. Be good and don't give Hermione any trouble." He gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and walked over to Hermione.

"So, he's already had a bath, but if you could get him to comb his hair," he said with a smile, eying the mass of curls Hermione had bunched into a ponytail. "And the house-elves have made dinner for the two of you. His bedtime is 8:30, and please, don't spend the entire night reading together."

Hermione laughed, rolling her eyes. "We'll be fine, won't we Alex?"

"Yes!" he shouted.

"Go," she said, pushing Draco lightly. "Have fun!"

"Not likely, Granger," Draco grumbled heading towards the fireplace. He looked back at his son and his babysitter, wishing he could stay at home with the two of them.

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Draco walked back out of his fireplace at 9:48 at night. _I can't believe it took so bloody long_, he thought. _At least I know that Alex's teacher isn't completely inept though._

He took off his cloak and handed it to Butler, who was already bowed and waiting. He let out a big yawn and stretched the kinks out of his shoulders and neck. Looking around the living room, he noticed Hermione curled up on one of the oversized armchairs, fast asleep.

He smiled slightly at the sight of her tiny frame swallowed up by the massive pillows. She had a book lying in her lap; _Typical_, he thought; and her hair was sprawled over the arm of the chair, where her head lay. Under the low lighting of the room, only the crackling fire and the lamp by her seat, she looked like a vision peacefully sleeping. She stirred slightly, moving her head so that she was facing Draco completely.

Draco quietly made his way over to her, reluctant to wake her. He carefully pushed some of her wild hair out of her face, surprised by how soft and silky it was. She looked like an angel, with the firelight bouncing off of her face. He gently prodded her to wake her up.

She slowly opened her eyes, looking up at Draco hazily. As she grew more aware of her surroundings, she sat up in the chair, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just reading, and I only closed my eyes for a second," she explained hurriedly.

"Don't worry about it. I trust everything went well?" he responded, sitting down on the edge of the coffee table in front of her.

"Oh, he was delightful. We had dinner and we talked about how much he's learning in school. After dinner we…played games for a while," Hermione lied, glancing at Draco.

He laughed at her horrible attempt to fool him. "Ahh, and did these games consist of pages bound together with writing on them?" he teased.

Smiling slightly and looking away, she replied, "There were a few pictures in some of them."

The two laughed together quietly. Hermione yawned, bunching her messy hair into a new ponytail, as it had mostly come apart while she slept. Draco watched as she gathered her hair together, longing to run his fingers through her curls.

Oblivious to his stare, Hermione asked, "So how was Back to School Night?"

"Not too bad," Draco said, looking down at his hands. "At least I know that Alex's teacher isn't completely inept," he said, repeating his earlier thought.

Hermione laughed, shaking her head at him. "God Draco, I hope you didn't say anything like that to her. I think your son is smitten with her."

He paused, loving the way his name sounded coming from her. "I'll have you know I was very charming, as always Hermione."

Smiling drowsily, Hermione got up from her chair and stretched. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you viewed it, she was standing right in front of Draco, giving him a glorious view of her stomach as her shirt rode up a little. Staring at the patch of creamy skin, numerous images flew through his head, none of which were respectable in the least.

He stood up quickly, so that he wouldn't be faced with her exposed stomach. However, this only brought them closer, as Hermione found herself inches away from Draco's chest. They both looked at each other, slowly leaning closer.

_Oh my god_, Hermione thought, now wide awake.

_Merlin she smells good_, Draco thought, looking at her welcoming lips.

Suddenly, the clock struck 10, ringing loudly. They both jumped away from each other, startled by the abrupt noise. _Shit, bugger, fuck it all!_ Draco yelled in his mind.

Hermione's face was flushed, and she looked everywhere else except for at Draco.

"Well, I should head home now. I'll see you later then Draco," she said quietly.

Draco nodded, watching as she took her cloak and disappeared through the flames. He stared at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, a gift from his mother, with a growing urge to hex it into tiny little pieces. _Figures a gift from mum would ruin my life._ With that, he headed to bed, feeling thoroughly unsatisfied.

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**Aww, so close!! You guys are so awesome. I'm loving the comments, and I will def try to update as fast as I can for you all. This story won't be more than 20 chapters, and there won't be any weird plot twists or anything, for those of you who are worried. Just light, fluffy romance/humor, my favorite type of fics. Thanks and keep reviewing; they're my inspiration to write faster!**


	6. Chapter 6: A Quidditch Emergency

**Chapter 6: A Quidditch Emergency**

"Agh,that close and you couldn't seal the deal?" Blaise groaned after hearing a recount of Draco's night with Hermione.

"It's not that I couldn't, Zabini," Draco hissed with annoyance. "The fucking clock started to chime and that completely ruined the mood."

"So you like Hermione then, huh? Never would have thought that, but I can see why. The two of you are perfect for each other. And Alex likes her too," Blaise said, smiling at his friend. "Plus, you haven't gotten laid in near 8 months."

Draco glared at Blaise, whose innocent smile morphed into an evil smirk. "If I had wanted to get a lay in the last 8 months, don't even think I wouldn't be able to. It's impossible to have a random shag when you've got a 5 year old kid at home, though."

"Saving yourself for the better part of the Golden Trio then, are you?" Blaise quipped, now beginning to laugh at his friend's discomfort.

"You're a right arse, you know Zabini. I don't even know why I'm friends with you."

"Oh, shove it. You're the same way, mate. All of us Slytherins are. Besides, I'm your son's godfather, we have to be friends," he countered.

Draco rolled his eyes, leaning back in his armchair. The two were having a meeting in his office to discuss Blaise's success in Dublin and the prospect of their newly acquired branch in Ireland.

"Speaking of which, where is that son of yours? I haven't seen the little devil in weeks."

"He's at school now. He's going to one of his little friends house afterwards, until I can pick him up," Draco explained, grimacing.

"You don't like that he's got friends? A little possessive aren't we?" Blaise teased, knowing how close Draco and Alex were.

"I'm not possessive," Draco argued hotly, to which Blaise snorted. "I'm glad he has friends, I just don't like sending him over to their houses, especially since I've never met their parents."

"So why are you?"

"I've no other choice. Mum and Lucius still haven't come home from Italy, and I have a meeting from 3 o'clock to god knows when. Maybe if the people who worked in this damn office weren't so bloody stupid, we wouldn't have to have meetings every week to explain things to them, and I would be able to spend time with my son."

"And your girlfriend," Blaise mocked.

"Honestly, are you 5 years old as well?" Draco asked, ignoring his friend's immature line of questioning.

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"Ha! I told you! Didn't I tell you! I told you!" Ginny cried, jumping up on Hermione's couch and doing a victory dance.

"Yes, you told me. You were right. Now would you please get down from there and help me?" Hermione pleaded with her friend.

Calming down, Ginny returned to her seat on the couch, grinning madly at her friend. "So, I was right about you and Draco. What do you need help with now?"

"Well, I dunno if he likes me back. Besides, he has a son, which makes it so much more complicated. And it's MALFOY! Oh, what am I thinking?" Hermione groaned, burying her face in her pillow.

"You're thinking that times have changed now. Clearly he's not the same guy he was 5 years ago, and you're definitely not the same girl. So stop being ridiculous and ask the man out!" Ginny ordered.

"Are you mad! I'm not making the first move. What if he doesn't like me? Or worse, if we go out, hate each other, and I screw things up with Alex?" Hermione panicked, looking to Ginny for comfort.

Ginny rose off of the couch and gave Hermione a hug. "Fine, you can wait for him to make the first move, which he will because the man is clearly in love with you. And Alex will be fine. He really likes you, and that's good, because that gives Draco more of a reason to ask you out."

"Maybe. I don't know. Let's stop talking about this, it's making my head hurt. How did everyone take the news about Ron and Parvati?"

"Oh, Mum's overjoyed," Ginny answered, shuddering. "She was crying and hugging and the whole deal, drove me crazy. Bill, Charlie, and Percy were happy for Ron too, and Dad was so proud. But Fred and George still won't stop making fun of him. I think Ron might change his mind because of all the nonsense they keep telling him."

"Oh, those two. I hope he doesn't back out, we're going ring shopping tomorrow. I am a little worried that someone is going to let it slip to Parv that he's going to ask her and ruin the surprise."

"They've been going out for 4 years now, so I don't think it's going to come as much of a surprise. It's so weird to think that he's going to get married, though. I mean, he's Ron," Ginny said with a grimace.

"Don't say it like that, Gin. I'm so happy for them," Hermione said, smiling slightly.

"D'you ever think about what would have happened if you two hadn't broken up? And it was you he was proposing to?" Ginny asked seriously.

"Well, then it would be really awkward to go shopping for a ring for myself, wouldn't it?" Hermione replied laughing.

"I'm serious, 'Mione. Do you ever wish you and Ron were still together?"

"No, Ginny. We tried it, remember? Remember what a disaster it was? We're too different, and if we were still together now, we'd hate each other. We love each other, just not like that."

"Hmm, okay. I believe you. I guess it's good in a way. Ron's always wanted a wife like Mum, who stays at home, cooking and taking care of the children. I doubt you would ever want to fill that role."

"Absolutely not," Hermione said, frowning at her friend's old-fashioned taste. "I guess if Parv is willing to sacrifice her job to become a housewife, then the two of them will be happy together."

"And, that leaves you free to become Draco's wife and Alex's stepmother," Ginny added, smiling manically at Hermione.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione cried, throwing her pillow at Ginny's head.

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_Idiots_, Draco thought. _I've hired a load of idiots. In fact, the whole fucking office is idiotic. I bet Alex would do a better job than these bloody fucking imbeciles._

Draco had been sitting the president's chair of the conference room for an hour and a half, listening to his employees discuss the prospect of their expansion.

The phone in the conference room began to ring, and Draco picked it up immediately, glad to have a reason to not pay attention to the discussion.

"Hello?" he replied.

"Mr. Malfoy?" asked the general receptionist, Helen Colefield. "I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of your meeting, but there is someone on the line for you, and she wouldn't hang up unless she spoke with you. I tried to tell her you were busy, but she seems adamant, and a bit panicked."

"Who is she?" Draco asked, wondering what this woman could possibly want. The room had gone quiet as everyone realized the president of the company was no longer a part of the discussion.

"Her name is Belinda Hunter. She says she's Maxwell Hunter's mother," Helen answered.

_Who the bloody hell is Maxwell Hunter? _Draco thought, confused. "I'll talk to her," he said, curious to see what was going on.

"Hello? Mr. Malfoy?" Belinda asked, sounding afraid and very flustered.

"This is Mr. Malfoy. What can I do for you, Mrs. Hunter?"

"Yes, well. I'm Maxwell Hunter's mother, Alex's friend, you know?" she continued.

"Yes. Is everything all right?" Draco asked, remembering Alex mentioning something about a Max or Maxis.

"Of course. Everything is all right for the most part," she answered, as though she was about to cry. "But, er – there's been a little accident. Very little, mind you, miniscule."

"An accident?" Draco repeated, sitting up in his chair. "What kind of accident, Mrs. Hunter?"

"Just a small one. You see, the boys were playing Quidditch, and I was keeping a sharp eye on them. But my daughter, Amelia, she's 2 years old, she woke up inside the house. She never wakes up from her afternoon nap, so I was very worried. I ran into the house, only for a second, to check on her, and she was awake. So I put her back to sleep within minutes, and ran outside, and then…" she stopped.

"And then…?" Draco growled dangerously, his heart pounding out of his chest.

"Rodney, he's another one of Alex and Maxwell's friends, he couldn't control his broom, and he must have crashed into Alex. When I came out, the two were on the ground, crying," Belinda cried apologetically.

"Crashed?" Draco yelled into the phone, apoplectic with rage and worry. _What kind of idiotic woman leaves a group of flying 5 year olds alone outside? Why are all women so bloody fucking stupid?_ "Where is my son?" he asked, seething.

In tears, Belinda replied, "St. Mungo's. I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Malfoy. This will never happen again."

"You're damn right it won't," Draco growled as he slammed the phone down, ignoring the rest of Belinda's apologies. He ran out of the conference room to the office floo network, and grabbing a handful of Floo Powder, he made his way to St. Mungo's in a rage.

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"Um, Healer Granger?"

Hermione turned to face the nurse who had just called her name. She was in the middle of healing a patient who had swallowed an unidentified potion and sprouted feathers and tentacles. The nurses knew not to interrupt when she was with a patient; if it was something serious, she could be paged.

"Yes?" she asked, glaring at the nurse.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but there's a gentleman in the emergency room who is calling for you," she answered, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"I'm with a patient," Hermione explained, smiling apologetically down at the man who now resembled a birdlike octopus.

"I'm sorry. But he won't stop yelling, and he won't let anyone else heal his son."

_Son? _Hermione thought. "Is the gentleman blonde?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Yes I do," Hermione said, beginning to pack up. _Oh my god, what is wrong with Alex? _Worried, she was ready to leave her current patient immediately. She also knew that Draco wouldn't stop terrorizing the nurses and healers in the emergency room if she didn't come and help Alex.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Hunter. But I have an emergency to tend to," Hermione apologized. "If I'm not back in an hour, I will send another healer to tend to your…predicament."

With that, she left the room, racing to the emergency wards in a hurry.

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"How hard is it for you people to understand? My son is injured, and I want the best healer there is to heal him!" Draco yelled at the fourth Healer that tried to heal Alex.

"Draco! What's wrong with Alex?" Hermione called, rushing over to him.

Draco looked at Hermione, flooded with relief. "I dunno. He's in that room, and these idiots won't let me see him. I'm his father you bloody arse," he yelled at one of the nurses.

"Okay, I'll take care of him. But you have to stop yelling at the nurses and the healers. They're only trying to help," Hermione consoled soothingly, running into Alex's room.

Alex was sitting up in his bed, excited by all of the hustle and bustle of the emergency wards. "Hi Hermione!" he said happily.

"Hello Alex," she said tenderly. She took a look at his chart, confused by his cheery demeanor. _A broken leg?_ she thought. _Oh, thank god. I thought he was seriously injured or something._

"Well Alex, why don't you tell me what happened?" she asked, coming over to him. She took his leg and began prodding it with her wand to find the exact location of the fracture.

"It was very cool!" he exclaimed. "We were flying, and Rodney lost control of his broom, I think, and he crashed right into me!"

"Oh, my god!" Hermione cried. "Wasn't there anyone watching you boys?"

"Mrs. Hunter went inside for a minute to check on Amelia, so she couldn't help us until after. It wasn't that bad though," he added, seeing Hermione's worried reaction. "We weren't flying very high, so we only fell a few feet. I just landed badly, I guess. But my broom is fine!"

_Oh, well as long as your broom is fine_, she thought sarcastically, delirious with worry. _What kind of woman leaves 5 year olds alone while they're flying on brooms? I bet Draco's furious with her._

She found the fracture point at last, muttering the healing spell quickly. Alex winced slightly, but was otherwise unaffected.

"There you go, all better," Hermione said, patting his leg comfortingly. "Usually I ask whether you want the temporary cast or not, but for you, I'm definitely putting it on. I don't want anything to happen to your newly healed leg."

"Oooh, I get a cast?" Alex rejoiced. Hermione laughed, finally relaxing and magically creating a bright white cast around his leg.

She left the room to find Draco pacing in front of the door, glaring at everyone who looked his way. When he saw her, he stared, all of his worry apparent on his face.

"Is he all right?" he asked hopefully.

"He's fine. It was just a small fracture. He'll have a cast for a few days, just as a precaution," she answered, leading him to the seats in front of the room. They both sat down.

"Bloody hell. I was so scared," he said, lowering his head into his hands and calming down at last.

Hermione patted him on the back comfortingly. "He was really great. It shouldn't have hurt after the pain medication the nurses gave him. He was so excited about the cast too," she remembered, laughing.

Draco smiled, finally realizing how worried Hermione had been as well. "Thank you for coming to help him. I didn't mean to be so difficult; I was just worried. If anything happened to him…I don't know what I would do."

"Don't say that," Hermione said, shaking her head. "He's a Malfoy after all; he's indestructible," she teased, smiling at him.

Draco laughed for the first time in what felt like hours. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, before Hermione remembered that she had a tentacled patient to tend to. Jumping out of her seat, she began to leave Draco.

"Where are you going?" he asked, enjoying her company and her consolation.

"I have another patient with tentacles and feathers coming out of his face," she explained hurriedly. "Alex is probably already asleep here. You can take him home right now, or you can stay the night, it's up to you. But you'll have to bring him here in the morning anyway, for a check up."

"Then we'll just stay," Draco responded. "You know, I'll have to repay you sometime, Granger," he said with a smile.

Laughing back at him, Hermione ran towards the exit, feeling the butterflies in her stomach once again.

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Draco quietly entered Alex's room, taking a seat in the chair beside his bed. He stared at his son's peaceful sleeping form, feelings of worry and fear coming back to him. _He shouldn't be on this bed. I'm never letting him fly without me ever again, _he thought._ Oh no, I'm starting to sound like Granger._

He thought about how quickly she responded to his persistent demands that she heal Alex, and he was overwhelmed by a feeling of gratitude and something else that he couldn't quite explain. He looked back at Alex, thinking about how close Hermione and Alex were and how worried she must have been. _Almost as worried as me_, he thought, remembering how she looked when she entered the emergency wards.

Alex stirred, turning his head towards his father and opening his eyes. "Daddy?" he asked groggily.

"Go back to sleep, son," Draco said, stroking his hair lovingly.

"Where's Hermione?" Alex asked, looking around the room for his healer.

"She had to see other patients," Draco explained. "You're rather fond of her, aren't you?"

"She's really nice, and cool, and smart," Alex praised. "And she's really pretty too."

Draco nodded, secretly agreeing with everything his son said.

"Don't you think she's pretty too, Daddy?" Alex asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by his father.

"Yes, Alex. Now go to sleep. You've had a very long day."

As Alex went back to sleep, Draco took his seat again, willing himself to fall asleep as well. As he drifted off, he thought about Hermione again; her bright smile, her long hair, the way she always knew what he was thinking. _I wonder how I'll repay her_, he thought, as sleep overcame him.

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	7. Chapter 7: Dragons and Diamonds

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**Chapter 7: Dragons and Diamonds**

"So it seems everything is fine with your leg now, Alex. We'll just keep the cast on for a few days, just as a precaution, all right?" Hermione explained, giving Alex his morning check-up. Alex had been up for a while, reading and eating his breakfast. Draco, who spent the night on the bedside chair, was still fast asleep.

"Wicked! How long do I get to keep it on?" Alex asked excitedly.

"You only need it for a few days," Hermione replied, laughing at his childish enthusiasm. "But you can wear it for longer if you want to."

Alex grinned, staring at his white cast in awe. Hermione looked down at the cast, frowning at its flawless condition.

"Can I have the honor of signing your cast first?" she asked, pulling out a bag of colorful markers.

"You can write on them?" he gasped, eyes wide. Laughing, Hermione uncapped an orange marker and signed her name on the large cast.

"There," she said, smiling satisfactorily. "Your first signature."

"Wicked," he repeated, staring at her neatly scrawled handwriting. "Can you draw on it?"

"What would you like me to draw?" Hermione asked, bringing out more markers in preparation.

"A dragon!" Alex exclaimed, sitting up excitedly.

Hermione began to draw the dragon, concentrating intensely. After she finished coloring it in, she looked up, proud of her masterpiece.

"What do you think?" she asked, showcasing her artwork.

Alex looked down at his cast at Hermione's dragon. "That's it?" he said after a while.

"What do you mean?" she asked, crestfallen, her arms dropping to her sides. "It's a dragon."

"It's a girly dragon," he replied, wrinkling his nose.

"It's pretty," Hermione countered, defending her colorful creation.

"Hermione," Alex started, exasperated. "Dragons aren't supposed to be pretty. They're supposed to be dangerous and frightening, and shoot fire through their noses."

Hermione tapped her chin with her finger, contemplating Alex's explanation. Suddenly, her face brightened and she grabbed her wand. She tapped her dragon, charming it to come out of the cast. The drawn dragon circled around Alex, roaring, before flying to the center of the room and spouting fire through its nostrils. In a burst of flame, the dragon disappeared back into Alex's cast, turning into the terrifying beast he had expected.

"Wicked!" he gasped yet again, looking at Hermione with reverence. "Do it again!"

Hermione laughed, picking up her markers and standing up. "Maybe later. I have to check up on a few other patients. I'll be back when you leave, to walk you out."

"Hermione," Alex asked tentatively. "Am I your favorite patient?"

"Without a doubt," she replied, smiling down at him and stroking his hair. "But I never want to see you here again, do you understand?" she continued sternly.

Alex nodded, smiling back at her widely. "I don't think dad could handle it either. He's not very good with emergencies."

The two looked over at Draco's still sleeping form. He shifted slightly in his seat, but remained fast asleep.

"No, I don't think he could," she agreed, continuing to look at Draco. "And neither could I. So you be very careful now, all right? I don't want you to be my patient ever again."

"All right," he said solemnly, looking down at his hands.

Hermione walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the forehead and a big hug. "I'll see you soon, Alex," she said as she turned to leave the room.

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"Nice dragon there, mate. Who drew that for you, your father?" asked Blaise, inspecting Alex's graffiti-filled cast.

"No, Hermione did it. Isn't it terrifying?" he gushed, showing off his leg.

"Hermione?" he repeated, giving Draco a knowing look.

Draco glared at his so-called friend, who simply smirked back. "You did say she was the best Healer there was."

"And the best drawer!" Alex added excitedly.

At that moment, Hermione entered the room. She looked at Blaise with surprise and teased, "It's nice to see you normally, Mr. Zabini, and not as a patient."

Draco laughed at this, earning a glare from Blaise. Hermione looked over at Draco and they locked eyes. He dropped his smirk, giving her a small smile, which she returned shyly. Blaise looked between the two of them, rolling his eyes. Hermione snapped out of her reverie, looking back at Alex and a smirking Blaise.

"All right then," Hermione said. "We've got the wheelchair ready."

"Wheelchair?" Draco asked, confused. "But I thought he was all healed."

"It's standard procedure. All patients need to be escorted out in a wheelchair," she explained. "He's absolutely fine though, right Alex?"

He nodded vigorously, eradicating all of Draco's remaining worries.

"Okay, if you boys could help Alex to his chair, we can get you out of here."

As the foursome walked down the halls of St. Mungo's, Draco pushing Alex's wheelchair, a young girl passed with her father. She stared at Alex's cast, and he watched her as she walked past.

Blaise looked down at Alex. "What do you think, mate? She good-looking enough for you?" he teased.

"No way!" Alex cringed, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Girls are gross!"

"Thanks a lot!" Hermione joked, looking at Alex with a hurt expression on her face.

"I didn't mean you, Hermione," he amended with an apologetic smile.

"So do you think Hermione's good-looking?" Blaise asked, smirking at Hermione's blushing face.

"Not as much as Dad does," he replied cheekily.

As they had reached the exit, the four of them stopped by the doors, the awkward silence growing between them. Draco glared at his son and at Blaise, who was hopelessly failing at hiding his smirk. Hermione's blush reached new levels as she looked at Draco, who looked back at her rather uncomfortably.

"Healer Granger! You're needed in the children's ward again," a nurse called out to her.

_Oh, thank god, _she thought secretly. "I have to go now," she said, leaning down to give Alex another kiss on the cheek. "Be careful, all right?" She stood up, giving Draco a smile and quickly waving at Blaise before walking away.

Draco watched her as she walked away, then turned to face Blaise and Alex, both of whom were grinning madly. Draco scowled, picking Alex up out of the wheelchair. As they left St. Mungo's, Draco pinched Alex's arm lightly.

"Traitor," he growled.

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"So how are you planning on asking her?" Hermione asked Ron, as they shopped for his engagement ring for Parvati.

"I dunno," he said, looking apprehensive and uneasy. "I'm not sure I can ask her anymore."

"What?!" Hermione yelled, forgetting she was in the middle of a jewelry store. "What do you mean?" she asked, quieting down, but no less shocked.

"Well, what if she says no? Or worse, what if she says yes, and then I fuck it up or something?" he asked, looking at her nervously.

"Ronald! Don't listen to what Fred and George are telling you," Hermione cried, exasperated. "She loves you, you idiot. Of course she'll say yes. Then you'll get married, have beautiful children, and live happily ever after. Now, what about this ring?" she continued, pointing at a stunning, but simple diamond ring.

Ron stared at his best friend, smiling at her confident reassurances. He came up behind her and gave her a big hug, looking at the ring she chose.

"Too small. I've finally got money; I might as well spend it on her. It's not as though I'll spend it on myself."

Hermione laughed, moving on to another row of rings. She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn, which didn't go unnoticed by Ron.

"Are you tired? Do you want to do this some other time?" he asked.

"No, no, it's fine. I'm all right. I've just had a long day. We've been postponing this for long enough, and you need to buy the ring. I'll be fine," she repeated.

"All right," he conceded, glancing at some of the more expensive rings. _Too showy_, he thought. "So what did you do today?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you. Alex was in St. Mungo's last night for a broken leg. His friend crashed into him while they were playing Quidditch, and he got injured when he fell. When I heard he was in the emergency ward, I was so scared that I left one of my patients to check on him."

"How's he doing?" Ron asked, genuinely concerned.

"Very well. He was great throughout the whole process. It's the most adorable thing; he's in love with his cast. I don't think he ever wants to take it off," she remembered, laughing.

Ron looked over at her, seeing her eyes light up while thinking of the kid. "You've gotten really attached to him haven't you?"

"He's a great kid. So sweet and cute, and incredibly smart as well," she gushed.

"And what about his father?" he asked slyly, noticing Hermione's deep blush at the mention of Draco.

"What about him?" she asked, refusing to look at him. She picked up another ring, holding it up in front of his face.

"Too big," he said. "Parv has really small hands. And don't try to change the subject. Clearly you like Malfoy. So what's going on between the two of you?"

"Nothing, Ronald. We're just friends," she insisted, still avoiding his gaze.

"I'm not stupid, you know. I can tell you like him. Why don't you just ask him out?"

"I know you're not stupid, Ron. What about this one?" she asked, holding up a beautiful 2-karat, square-cut diamond and platinum ring.

Ron took it from her, inspecting every inch. "It's beautiful, don't you think?"

Hermione nodded, breaking into a smile.

"You'll think she'll like it?" he asked nervously again.

She put her hand against his cheek, smiling at him warmly. "She'll love it, Ron. I'm so happy for you," she said, giving him a hug.

He grinned madly, hugging her back. "I'll take this one," he said to the jeweler, finally confident with his decision.

The two broke apart, and Ron looked down at Hermione. "I'll pretend for now that you didn't ignore my question, just because I just bought an engagement ring. But don't think I'm letting you off, now."

Hermione rolled her eyes, feeling butterflies in her stomach simply thinking of the blond-haired ex-Slytherin. _At least I know he thinks I'm pretty_, she thought with a small smile.

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Collapsing into the sofa in his living room, Draco called for Butler to bring him a glass of firewhisky. He had just put his son to sleep, making sure he was completely comfortable with his cast. Exhausted, he wanted nothing more than some alcohol and a long night's sleep. Unfortunately for him, his parents decided to visit, coming home from their vacation to hear of their grandson's injury.

"What on earth happened to Alex, Draco?" Narcissa cried, both worried and furious.

Draco groaned loudly, not even attempting to hide his frustration. _Sure, now they come back_, he thought bitterly, as Butler handed him his glass. He downed his drink in one gulp, savoring the feel of the alcohol running down his throat.

"Nothing happened, mother. He's fine, and he's asleep, so if you wouldn't mind keeping it down, I'd appreciate it greatly," he replied insolently.

"Don't speak to your mother like that, Draco," Lucius reprimanded sternly. "We simply wanted to know what happened to our grandchild. Is that any reason for us to be treated thus?"

"Don't scold me like I'm a child, father," Draco started, his irritation growing.

"I will if you continue to act like a child," Lucius countered, beginning to get angry at his son's rude behavior.

"Enough! Both of you! I want to know what happened to Alex. Now Draco," she said firmly.

"He's fine. He just had an accident on his broom while at a friend's house. He had to go to St. Mungo's last night, and Hermione took care of him. Nothing is wrong anymore, but she recommended he wear a cast for a few days, as a precaution," he explained, sitting up.

Lucius, comforted by his son's response, relaxed and sat down on the sofa as well. Narcissa, however, looked at her son shrewdly.

"Hermione healed him?" she asked, watching Draco's reaction closely.

He closed his eyes, knowing that this conversation was headed in a direction that he would not enjoy. "Yes, mother. She's the best there is, and Alex deserves nothing but."

"Hmm," she continued, thoughtfully. "It seems as though Hermione is always there for you, doesn't it?"

"For Alex," Draco clarified, getting annoyed with his mother's line of questioning. "She's always there for Alex."

"She can't be there for Alex without being there for you as well," she countered. "I think this girl has taken an interest in you."

"In Alex, mother! She's taken an interest in Alex!" he yelled, his exasperation reaching a boiling point.

Narcissa glanced at Lucius with a shocked expression. Lucius smirked at his son, teasing, "It sounds like you're a bit jealous of the attention she's giving Alex."

Draco stared between his father and his mother incredulously, not liking how close they were getting to the truth. _Oh my god. I'm jealous of my son. How fucked up is that?_

"I'm not even going to justify that with an answer. Now if you don't mind, I've had a long day, and I would like to go to bed."

With that, Draco walked to his bedroom, leaving his mother and father alone in his living room.

"You know Lucius, I think I'm beginning to like this girl a lot," Narcissa said, joining her husband on the couch.

"Maybe, but I don't think she can handle Draco. In fact, I don't think anyone other than Alex can handle Draco."

Narcissa laughed at this, shaking her head. "You clearly have not heard anything about Hermione Granger. If anyone can handle Draco, it's her. And she's already won over Alex's heart, which is Draco's biggest concern, I'm sure."

"Maybe, but…," Lucius started.

"Honestly, Lucius. If you say, 'but she's not a pureblood,' I swear I will hex your wrinkled ass to the moon," Narcissa interrupted, calmly but dangerously.

"I wasn't going to say that. And I'm not wrinkled," he countered under his breath.

"Really, then what were you going to say?" Narcissa pressed, narrowing her eyes.

"I was going to say, we don't know if she likes Draco, or if he likes her back."

"Well of course they like each other. It was obvious they liked each other at Alex's birthday party and that was months ago. I'm sure he'll ask her out soon," she replied confidently.

"How can you be so sure?" Lucius asked, looking at his wife with suspicion.

"I know my son. He's a Malfoy. He has to pay her back somehow," she answered, getting up. "Now let's go home. I refuse to spend the night in this flat. I will never understand what compelled Draco to subject himself to this kind of living when he could have stayed in the Mansion."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco stood outside his son's door, looking in at his sleeping form. He looked down at his cast, glancing at the dragon that Hermione had drawn, or charmed, on. Remembering how affected she was by Alex's injury and how worried she was, he felt a rush of that unidentified emotion for her. He thought back to the night she babysat Alex, and how close they had gotten to kissing. Longing to be that intimate with her again, he decided that he would ask her out the next time he saw her. _To pay her back_, he thought.

Thinking of all of the places he could take her, romantic restaurants they could go to, he grew excited with anticipation. _I wonder how she'll repay me_, he thought, grinning devilishly as he went to bed.

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**So, I think I'll keep you guys waiting a little longer before Hermione and Draco get together. Not too long though, so don't get mad.**

**I tried to put in some Ron and Draco's parents, to add a few more characters. Do you guys want me to put in some more Harry, maybe the Weasleys as well, or stick with developing the DMHG relationship? It's up to you all; I could go either way. **

**I'm loving the support, and please keep reading and reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8: And So It Begins

**Chapter 8: And So It Begins...  
**

Hermione shivered as she entered the café in Diagon Alley, clutching her cloak to her body to block out the cold from outside. Warming up, she spotted a table in the back, occupied by Harry, Ron, Fred, and George. As she walked over to join them, she ordered herself a large cup of cappuccino.

"And then there'll be tiny little Ronalds running around everywhere. How cute!" George Weasley teased.

"Oh lord, can you imagine that? Little Indian babies with flaming red hair shouting, 'Bloody hell!'" Fred Weasley added, laughing so hard he began to cry.

"Stop it you guys," Harry reprimanded, trying to stifle his own laughter.

"Doesn't matter, Harry. They won't stop until they've exhausted all of their material," Ron explained maturely. "Hey, 'Mione," he greeted as she joined them.

"Hello boys," she greeted, sitting down and taking a long sip of her drink. "I hope you two aren't still teasing Ron. I thought you would be over it by now; it's been a few months."

"I still can't believe that someone would actually agree to marry you, ickle Ronniekins," Fred continued, staring incredulously at his younger brother.

"Yeah, I always thought Parvati was smart. Clearly her taste is lacking," George added, earning him a punch on the arm from Ron.

"All right, that's enough," Hermione said briskly, ending the Ron-bashing moment. "So Harry, how's Ginny doing? I haven't seen her in a while."

"Probably because you've been too preoccupied with a certain blond-haired kid and his father," Fred teased, nudging Hermione suggestively. She blushed furiously, glaring at the twins, who were grinning back at her.

Harry laughed at his friend's discomfort, putting his arm around her. "Ginny's fine, she's going crazy with work though."

"Are the students at Hogwarts driving her crazy?" Hermione asked, feeling a pang of guilt for neglecting her friend.

"More like McGonagall. Ever since Gin took over her post as the Transfiguration professor, Minerva has been watching her like a hawk, to make sure she 'follows the right path' as she puts it. She's driving Ginny out of her bloody mind."

The five laughed at this, though Hermione promised herself she would talk to her friend later that day. She leaned back in her seat as the twins began doing frighteningly accurate impressions of the Hogwarts headmistress.

--

Draco and Alex walked into the café together, instantly feeling a wave of warmth rush over them in contrast with the blistering cold outside. Instinctively, Draco pulled Alex's hat down, to better cover his ears until they were completely out of the cold. They walked to the counter to order their drinks.

"Daddy, can I try coffee today?" Alex pled, looking up hopefully at his father.

"Sure Alex," Draco agreed. "Then afterwards we can go to the Leaky Cauldron and drain a pint of firewhisky," he continued, smiling at his son's pout.

Alex crossed his arms angrily, which was difficult to do because of the size of his winter cloak. Laughing at his son's eagerness to grow up, Draco stepped up in line, ordering himself a coffee and a hot chocolate for Alex. They looked around for an empty table, which was hard to find as the café was packed with people escaping the cold. Alex noticed a familiar face in the back of the café, running over to greet Hermione.

"Hi Hermione!" he greeted, giving her a big hug.

"Alex!" she cried in surprise. "What are you doing here? Where's your father?" she asked, looking around the café for Draco. When she spotted him, she waved at him, signaling him to join their table. Draco walked over, taking the seat between Hermione and Fred.

"Hey Malfoy," Harry called to him, raising his cup in greeting. "Now I don't believe we've actually met," he added, turning towards Alex.

Following his formal introduction, Alex stood up in his chair and extended a hand to Harry, then Ron and the twins.

"Very impressive," Fred said to Draco, clearly amused by the child's manners. Draco simply smirked, handing his son his hot chocolate.

"Be careful, Alex," he warned. "Don't drink it too fast or spill it. It's very hot."

"I know, Dad," Alex replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, gosh Malfoy. Stop babying him," George teased. "He's 5 years old. He knows what he's doing."

Everyone laughed at this, while Alex nodded vigorously to agree with George. At that moment, Fred's phone rang, and he left the table to answer it.

"So how was your Halloween, Alex?" Ron asked, since the holiday had passed only two weeks before.

"It was awesome! I went to my friend Rupert's house, and it was a haunted mansion!" he explained, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Everyone was so scared, but I wasn't, really. It was loads of fun though. And we went trick-or-treating, and I was the vampire. I looked pretty terrifying. You should have seen me, Hermione!"

"Oh, I should have," she agreed, smiling at the image of Alex in a vampire's costume. "Did you take any pictures?" she asked, turning to Draco.

"I wasn't there, actually," he replied. "I had a meeting in Dublin, so Alex spent Halloween with my parents, which is probably the scariest thing I can imagine."

She laughed at this, taking a sip of her cappuccino. Draco smiled back at her, while Ron, Harry, and George watched their interaction with amusement. Fred rejoined their table, only to grab his cloak and get his twin.

"Sorry, guys," he apologized. "Business calls. Some kid thought we were lying when we labeled our dung bombs 'dung' bombs. Idiot tried to test one to see how it smelled; knocked over the entire box of them. I'm surprised we can't smell it from here."

"Cool!" Alex quipped, sitting up attentively. "Can we go see it, Dad?"

Draco looked at his son incredulously, not even replying to his ridiculous request. Hermione, Harry, and Ron all laughed at their exchange as Fred and George began to leave.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, little Malfoy," Fred said, shaking Alex's hand again.

"And now we know what to get you for Christmas, eh big Malfoy?" George added, winking at Draco, who gave him a death glare in return.

"So how's school going?" Hermione asked Alex, leaning back in her chair. Her hand accidentally brushed against Draco's, and the butterflies that were calming in the pit of her stomach erupted again.

"My teacher is having a baby, so she's going to be leaving soon. We have a new teacher, Mr. Longbottom, and he's really nice, but not as pretty," he answered.

"Mr. Longbottom?" Harry asked with surprise. "As in Neville Longbottom?"

"The one and only," Draco replied with a smirk.

"I haven't spoken to Neville in years," Ron said, reminiscing. "In fact, the last time I talked to him was at the two-year anniversary of the war. What has he been doing since then?"

"I'm not sure," Harry answered, looking at Draco expectantly.

"Don't look at me, Potter. He's your fellow Gryffindor," Draco replied, shrugging.

"When I go to Hogwarts, I'm going to be in Slytherin," Alex stated confidently, looking at his father. Draco smiled back at him, while Harry and Ron shook their heads in disappointment.

Hermione wrinkled her nose at Alex's desire to be a Slytherin. "Neville was in France for a few years, teaching Herbology at Beauxbatons. He got married about a year ago to a really nice French woman, and they have a little daughter. I think her name is Elena," she explained to her oblivious friends.

"How'd you know that?" Draco asked her disbelievingly.

"Come on, you guys. It's Hermione," Ron said with a laugh. "She knows everything."

"Oh, shut up, Ronald," she said jokingly. "I've kept in touch with him, as opposed to you lazy bums who can't even owl one of your oldest friends."

Draco laughed at the reprimand Harry and Ron received, earning him a glare from Hermione. Ron stood up, grabbing his cloak and hat as well.

"I've got to go as well; Auror duties call," he explained, punching Harry lightly on the shoulder and giving Hermione a kiss on the cheek.

"Whoa! You're an Auror?" Alex asked with amazement.

"Yup," Ron replied, giving Alex a lop-sided grin. "I'll tell you about some of my missions some other time. It was great to meet you though. Finally," he added, looking pointedly at Draco.

"Bye Ron," Hermione called, as he walked towards the exit.

"What do you do, Harry?" Alex asked politely, finishing off his hot chocolate.

"I am the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. In a few years, you'll be my student."

"I can't wait to go to Hogwarts and learn magic. I can already do some magic, right Dad?" he boasted, as Hermione, Harry, and Draco all smiled.

"God, remember when we were like that?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry and Draco.

"Not really, no," Harry answered, remembering what life had been like for him at the age of 5.

"Nope, me neither," Draco agreed, looking over at Alex's excited face. His excitement contrasted vastly with Draco's feelings of complete intolerance for having to mix with non-Pureblood children. _My how times have changed_, he thought as he looked at Hermione.

Hermione pouted. "Fine. It was just me then."

Harry laughed at this, ruffling Hermione's hair playfully. She finished the rest of her cappuccino, getting up to leave.

"I should get going, now. Bye Alex," she said, giving him a kiss on the forehead. She waved at Harry and Draco as she turned to leave. Draco watched her walk towards the door, debating on whether he should ask her out or not.

"Can you watch Alex for a minute?" he asked Harry quickly, running out before Harry had a chance to reply.

Harry smiled knowingly, shaking his head. "I think your dad is going to ask Hermione out on a date," he said to Alex.

Alex turned in his chair and looked back at his father, who was rushing to catch Hermione. "It took him long enough," Alex said quietly, eliciting a laugh from the Boy Who Lived.

--

"Granger!" Draco yelled, pulling his cloak on to block out the rush of cold that hit him immediately. He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of her bushy brown hair.

Hermione heard Draco calling for her, and turned around to walk back to him. "You called? Well, yelled, actually."

He laughed, looking at her closely. Her cheeks and nose were rosy from the cold, and her hat was pulled so low, it almost covered her eyes. With her wild hair and her sparkling eyes, she looked almost angelic.

"Malfoy?" Hermione said, waving her hands in his face. "You always seem to space out. Maybe you should get that checked," she teased, laughing.

"Actually Granger, that only seems to happen when I'm around you," Draco replied, smirking at her.

Hermione could hear her heart pounding out of her chest. She blushed, though it wasn't noticeable as her cheeks were already red.

"So what did you want from me?" she asked while snow began to fall lightly around them. As snowflakes stuck to her curls and her cloak, Draco couldn't believe he'd never noticed how beautiful she was.

"Well, I think it's about time I repaid you for everything you've done for Alex and me. I told you I would at some point," he said, his smirk turning into a genuine smile.

She smiled back at him, her heart beating even faster if possible. "What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner Saturday night. At _Le Petit_?" he asked, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. On the outside he looked cool and confident, never betraying the chaotic flurry of nerves he felt on the inside while waiting for her reply.

"What will Alex do?"

"My parents can watch him for the night. No worries, except that they're Lucius and Narcissa, but…" he explained, shrugging his shoulders.

Hermione laughed, nodding her head. "All right. Pick me up at 8 o'clock?"

He smiled back in agreement, leaning in to give her a quick peck on the cheek. _Damn she smells good_, he thought as he pulled away. She smiled at him as she turned to go, leaving Draco alone in front of the café. He watched her as she walked away, his anticipation for their first date growing fast.

_I can't believe he finally asked me out!_ Hermione thought as her heart continued to race. She couldn't stop smiling, feeling as though she was walking in the clouds.

_Oh no, _she thought suddenly. _What am I going to wear?_

--

"So what was that about?" Harry asked cheekily as Draco returned to their table.

"Nothing, Potter," Draco replied, taking a seat. "It's between Granger and me. There is something called privacy."

Harry shrugged, giving Draco a knowing look that he had received way too often lately.

"Are you and Hermione going to date now?" Alex asked bluntly, shocking both Harry and his father.

"What? Why? Do you not want me to?" he asked rapidly, afraid that Alex would be uncomfortable with him dating Hermione, or anyone for that matter.

"Of course I want you to, Dad," he replied, shaking his head at his father's obliviousness. "You've liked her for ages; I'm surprised it took you so long to ask her out. I was beginning to think Uncle Blaise was lying about how good you used to be with girls."

At this, Harry burst into laughter, while Draco looked at his son in outrage. "I happen to be very charming with the ladies, Alex. I do have you to worry about now, though."

"Why wouldn't I want you to date Hermione? She's perfect," Alex continued as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You are one smart kid, Alex," Harry complimented, looking at the 5 year old in wonder.

"Of course," Alex answered. "I'm a Malfoy, after all."

Draco smirked proudly at his son, as Harry laughed at Alex's likeness to his father. The three stood up to leave, saying their goodbyes.

As Draco helped Alex put on his cloak and hat, he asked again, "So you're entirely okay with me dating Hermione?"

"Dad, don't you think you should've asked me this before you asked Hermione out?" he answered with a smile.

"Does that mean you don't want me to go out with her?" Draco asked worriedly, kneeling down to Alex's level.

Alex rolled his eyes, shaking his head vigorously. He took Draco's face in both hands and said, "I'm glad you're going out with Hermione. I like her a lot. Not like that, though. Well, not anymore. I used to like her like that, but I've moved on to girls my own age now."

Draco's eyebrows shot up in surprise, as a smirk grew on his face once again. "Anyone in particular?"

"I really like Penelope; she's the girl who sits in front of me in class," Alex replied excitedly as the two headed for the door. "She's really pretty."

"So are you going to ask her out?" Draco teased, glad that his son inherited his ability to charm women.

"Eventually. Either her or Sarah. She sits behind me," Alex answered.

Draco looked down at his son in amazement. "Quite the player, aren't we?"

"Of course," he replied with a smile. "I'm a Malfoy, after all."

Draco laughed, pulling Alex closer as they walked out of the café. The snow was falling much harder now as he remembered how Hermione had looked with snowflakes in her hair. _I wonder what she'll wear on Saturday_, he thought with a smile, anxious for the weekend to come.

--

**Sorry I took so long to update. One of the downsides of senior year is that I have loads of homework. I'll try to update more often, though, since you all are incredibly supportive. Next chap, they're going on the date! Finally. Thanks for reading, you know what to do now…**


	9. Chapter 9: Repayment

**Chapter 9: Repayment**

"Do you know nothing of me?" Hermione cried incredulously. "Can you ever imagine me wearing anything like that?"

Ginny frowned, looking at the dress in her hands. "Sure it's a little more revealing than the burlap sacks you normally wear, but that's the point, 'Mione. You've gotta be sexy if you want Malfoy to rock your world."

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled, embarrassed and outraged. "I don't want Draco to…rock my world," she whispered. "Besides, I don't wear burlap sacks; I wear tasteful dresses, not something that looks like glorified lingerie."

"Oh, speaking of, we should stop by Victoria's Secret and get you some lingerie as well," Ginny continued, ignoring her friend's protests.

"Can we just find me a nice dress that I would actually wear?" Hermione pled, getting frustrated. "You know I hate shopping for clothing."

Ginny looked over at her friend's scowling face, shaking her head. "You know, 'Mione, sometimes I worry about you. What woman doesn't love to shop for clothing?"

Hermione glared at Ginny, pushing past her to look for more dresses. They had been shopping for over three hours, searching for the perfect dress for Hermione's date with Draco. Ginny insisted on showing Hermione the sluttiest dresses she'd ever seen, and she rejected any decent dress Hermione chose. At her wit's end, Hermione went up to one of the saleswomen and asked for help, much to Ginny's dismay.

"You know I hate asking for help while shopping," Ginny argued when Hermione came back with a saleswoman. "It makes me feel incompetent."

"Gin, she owns the store. She can help us find the perfect dress quickly, so I can go home and start getting ready. Please?" she asked, smiling as Ginny reluctantly agreed.

"What are your specifications, Miss?" the saleswoman asked.

"She's going on a date with a gorgeous man who she has liked for a while now. I want her to be sexy, but she's kind of prudish," Ginny said, earning another glare from Hermione. "Do you have anything classy, but extremely sexy?"

The saleswoman smiled at Hermione's affronted expression. "Don't worry, Miss. We pride ourselves on our dress selection. And with a figure like yours, you shouldn't be afraid to dress sexy for your date," she said with a wink, as she magically gathered an assortment of dresses. "Follow me," she called, walking into the dressing area.

The first dress Hermione tried on was a pale yellow, strapless gown with white embroidery around the hem. It had a slit from the thigh down, showing way too much leg for Hermione to feel comfortable.

"I don't know," she said as she came out of her dressing room to face the saleswoman and Ginny. "The slit is too high, and the top is a little bit tight."

"All right, try this," the saleswoman suggested, handing Hermione a dark navy dress.

This dress was closely fitted, ending above her knees. It had thick straps and ended high, not showing any cleavage. It was cinched in the back, showing off Hermione's thin waist, and it flared out flatteringly.

Hermione smiled as she walked out. "How about this one?"

The saleswoman smiled widely, but Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Hermione, you're going on a date, not to a business dinner. You can afford to be a little bit revealing; not slutty, but sexy. Here, try this one," she said, pushing Hermione back into the dressing room with a red dress.

Hermione sighed, slipping on the silky halter dress. It was fitted as well, ending just below her knees and hugging her curves tightly. The front of the dress dipped slightly low, showing a glimpse of her assets, but it was tasteful enough for Hermione. She turned in the mirror, noticing that there was no back. The straps of the halter brushed loosely against her bare skin, and the dress began around the small of her back. _This could work, _she thought, feeling a little self-conscious as she stepped out.

She twirled for Ginny and the saleswoman, and the dress flared out around her knees. They applauded appreciatively, and Ginny let out a low whistle, her eyes wide.

"Malfoy won't know what hit him," she said, smiling devilishly.

Hermione blushed deeply, smiling at the saleswoman while handing her a bag of galleons.

"You don't think it's too much, right?" she asked Ginny as they walked out of the boutique.

"Too much money?" Ginny asked, confused. "Because you've got a lot of money, Hermione, and you don't spend it on anything but books."

"No, not too much money. Just…too flashy or revealing, I mean," she clarified.

Ginny linked her arm with her friend's, laughing at her shyness. "You looked incredible in that dress. Malfoy won't be able to take his eyes off of you all night."

Hermione smiled back at Ginny, feeling the butterflies in her stomach grow increasingly frenzied. _That's the idea, isn't it_? she thought, anxiously waiting for 8 to come around.

--

"Ok, this one?" Draco asked Alex, holding up a black and silver striped tie in one hand, "Or this one?" he asked, holding up a forest green tie in the other hand.

Alex was sitting on Draco's dresser as his father rushed around his room getting ready for his date.

"That one," Alex replied, pointing to the striped one.

"I thought so too," Draco agreed, slipping the silk tie around his neck. It matched perfectly with his black suit and ghost grey shirt.

He fixed his hair for the millionth time, turning to face his son. "What do you think?" he asked anxiously.

Looking at his father's nervous expression, Alex burst into laughter. Scowling, Draco picked him up off of the dresser and put him on the floor.

"Fat lot of help you are," he grumbled at his less-than-supportive son.

"I thought you were a 'ladies man,' as Uncle Blaise puts it. Why are you so nervous?" Alex asked, looking up at Draco.

Draco frowned. "I'm rusty, Alex. I haven't dated in over 5 years. Besides, Hermione is nothing like the ladies I used to date," he explained, straightening his tie.

"You look great, Dad. Hermione'll love it," Alex replied, grabbing Draco's hand as they headed towards the fireplace.

_I hope so_, Draco thought as they made their way to his parent's house. As they entered the foyer of the Malfoy Manor, they saw Narcissa waiting for them by the fireplace.

"Alex, Draco," she called, giving both a hug and a kiss. "Well, Draco. Don't you look nice?" she said, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Yes mother," he gritted out, rolling his eyes. "I couldn't very well show up at _Le Petit _in rags, now could I?"

She simply smiled at him knowingly, bringing Alex into the living room where Lucius sat. He looked up from _The Prophet_ as the three entered the room.

"Draco, you look dashing for you date," he complimented, putting down his paper. "I've always said, we Malfoys look impeccable in suits."

Draco regarded his father with a strange expression. "Right. Well, I have to go now, Alex," he said, coming over to his son. "You'll be all right, won't you?"

"Yes, Dad," Alex answered, giving Draco a big hug. "Have fun with Hermione."

Draco smiled at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "All right, then," he said as he walked towards the fireplace again.

"Draco," Narcissa called, walking into the foyer. "Will Alex be staying the night?" she asked, her question loaded with other insinuations.

"I don't know," he replied with a glare, but secretly hoping Alex would be sleeping at the Manor tonight. "Good night, mother."

Narcissa frowned at her son's privacy as he walked into the fire, flooing over to Hermione's flat.

--

Draco entered Hermione's flat without a hitch, as she had taken down her protective wards. She called out to him, telling him to make himself comfortable and that she would be out in a moment.

He looked around her living room, which reminded him of her office at St. Mungo's. It wasn't too small, but was filled with books and pictures. He felt comfortable at once, as though the hominess of the room invited him to relax. _This room suits Hermione's personality perfectly_, he thought as he sat down on her couch and picked up the nearest book.

"Hey," Hermione greeted, entering the living room. Draco looked up from his book and his breath hitched in his throat.

He had never seen her look so stunning. Her dress clung to her curves tightly, and the slight dip in the front left a lot to his imagination. She had tamed her curls, clipping them up with only a few strands framing her face and neck. _Fucking hell_, he thought, standing up.

"Hey," he repeated, feeling like an idiot for not bringing flowers or something for her. "You look amazing."

She smiled nervously in response. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she blushed deeply. In his dark black suit, which contrasted drastically with his white-blond hair, he looked gorgeous.

"You ready to go?" he asked, extending a hand. She nodded, taking his hand and walking to her fireplace.

Draco nearly fell over when he saw the back of her dress, or the lack of it. _Merlin, she's going to drive me crazy_, he thought as they flooed to _Le Petit._

--

Hermione laughed softly, taking a sip of her wine. _I never knew he was so funny_, she thought, amazed by how charming Draco was on their date.

"Needless to say, I've never played Quidditch with Flint again," he said with a laugh, recounting a story from his time on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He watched as Hermione laughed, her curls bouncing around her face and her eyes lighting up.

Although their date had been going unbelievably well so far, they were still Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. They fell into their regular witty banter immediately, and Draco remembered why he loved to argue with the girl. Her sharp comebacks and unwavering passion for whatever she believed in were refreshing for him, as he was used to insipid, brainless women like his ex-wife.

He was also pleasantly surprised that she actually ate, accustomed to his dates refusing to eat anything but salads in fear of becoming fat.

"Bonsoir, Mademoiselle et Monsieur," the garcon said, taking away their empty plates. "Shall I show you the dessert menu?" he asked.

Draco looked at Hermione, who nodded her head excitedly. He raised an eyebrow at her as the garcon left their table.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"I've never seen a woman eat so much on a date," he teased, watching her face turn red. "It's refreshing."

"Do I look like the type of woman who comes to an incredible restaurant and orders nothing but a salad?" Hermione replied, mimicking Draco's mocking expression. "Besides, the dessert is the best part," she continued with a devilish grin.

_I'll say_, Draco thought as he looked her over for the hundredth time that night.

The dessert menu appeared at their table, and Draco ordered a Mille Feuille for the two of them. As he ordered their dessert with a perfect French accent, Hermione felt her heart flutter once again. He had ordered their entire meal in French, having lived in Paris for five years. She normally hated when people did that, finding them too pretentious for her liking. But with Draco, his ability to speak French drove her mad.

"This evening has gone really well, you know, considering it's you and me," Hermione commented, her eyes sparkling.

"I've told you, Granger. I'm very charming when I want to be," he responded, smirking at her.

"Indeed," she agreed, smirking back at him. She took another sip of her wine as their dessert appeared.

Hermione's eyes lit up as she saw the plate, impressed by the beautiful presentation. The Mille Feuille was in the center of the plate, in a pool of white chocolate, with dark chocolate drizzled over the top. She giggled, excited to try her favorite type of French pastry.

She picked up her dessert fork, closing her eyes and nearly moaning in delight as she took her first bite. Draco watched her eat closely, his mouth dry. _Any woman that is that passionate about dessert has got to be amazing in bed_, he thought as she licked the chocolate off of her lips. He breathed deeply, trying to ignore the images racing through his mind, and took a bite himself.

"It's so good, isn't it?" Hermione asked, bringing out of his thoughts. "But I'm sure you've had much better, living in Paris for so long."

Draco nodded, smiling. "Have you ever been?"

"No," she answered with a frown. "I've always wanted to, but I just haven't found the time. It's kind of silly, but I've always wanted to go with someone. You know, to share the experience. It is called the City of Love, after all."

"We should go sometime," he said, looking at her intensely. "I could show you around."

"Really?" she asked, catching the implication in his nonchalant invitation.

"I'm sure you'd want to go to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and the tourist attractions, of course. But I could also show you where the best cafés are, the best boutiques, the best bookstores," he added with a smile.

"I guess we'll have to go sometime, then," she agreed, smiling back. "I don't think most tour guides can tell me where the best bookstores are."

"I'm one of a kind," Draco boasted jokingly, eliciting a laugh out of Hermione.

"That you are," she agreed as they finished off their dessert.

--

Draco walked Hermione back to her flat, as they had spent the last hour after dinner walking around the park by her building. They stopped at her door, as she fumbled through her purse in search of her keys. She pulled them out and turned to face Draco.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy. I had a surprisingly amazing time tonight," she said, playing with her keys nervously.

"Surprisingly, Granger? You should know by now that I'm nothing if not an astounding conversationalist," Draco replied, stepping closer to her.

"Yes, well. If there's anything I'll remember about tonight, it will be the astounding conversation then," she teased, looking at him intensely.

"Just the conversation?" he asked as he came even closer. He looked down at her inviting lips, his heart pounding so loudly he was surprised she couldn't hear it.

"No, you're right," she said as she leaned towards him as well. They were inches apart, and she could feel his warm breath mingling with her own. "The food was delicious too," she added just before they kissed.

It was a soft and slow kiss, but passionate as well, as their anticipations had built up this moment.

Draco loved the feel of her lips on his own, and he could taste the chocolate from their dessert on them. He moved closer, so that they were flush against each other, bringing one hand to her waist and the other behind her neck.

Hermione's heart raced as she placed both her hands on Draco's firm chest. She had lost all rational thought, snaking her arms around his neck to bring him even closer if possible.

Draco opened his mouth slightly, silently indicating to Hermione that he was willing to take it farther. He nearly lost his mind as she tentatively slipped her tongue in, softly massaging his own. As he moved his hand down her back, brushing his fingers against her thick cloak, he heard her moan lightly.

Their kiss grew more heated and passionate, until Hermione broke away in need of air. Breathing heavily, Draco rested his forehead against hers.

"Wow," he whispered, opening his eyes and trying to catch his breath. He looked down at Hermione, with her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Her eyes were still closed and her breasts were heaving as she too was out of breath.

Without opening her eyes, she asked, "D'you want to come in?"

Draco nearly cried in relief, leaning down to quickly peck her lips in acceptance. Smiling, she finally opened her eyes. She turned around and unlocked the door, with Draco's arms still around her. He kissed the base of her neck as they entered her flat, closing the door with his foot. They both removed their winter cloaks quickly, throwing them onto Hermione's couch.

He backed her into the wall, bringing his hands around to her bare back. He kissed her again, deeper than before. She moaned loudly, wrapping her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair. He slid his hand down her back, causing her to shiver slightly. Passing over her hips, he lifted one of her legs and she wrapped it around his.

Once again in need of air, Hermione broke their kiss, breathing hard. Draco continued his ministrations, leaving a trail of kisses on her ear and down her neck. She groaned as he found the spot in the crook of her neck that made her melt.

"You know, Draco," she started, surprised she could form coherent sentences. "I don't think you've ever been here before."

"No," he replied against her neck, groaning as he felt his growing reaction to her.

"I should give you a tour then, hmm?" she asked, pushing his jacket off of his shoulders. She grabbed his tie, loosening it and pulling it over his head.

"Where should we start?" he inquired, blowing on the love bite he had just finished on her neck. He smirked as she shivered again, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Well, you've already seen the living room," she said, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his neck softly.

Draco nodded, moaning as her hands moved lower and lower down his body. Hermione undid his belt and pulled his shirt out of his pants, unbuttoning it and pushing it off of him as well.

"The bedroom next?" she suggested, looking up at him. She was smirking, and behind the innocence in her eyes, there was so much passion, he could feel himself instantly grow harder. He smirked back and allowed her to lead him to her room, watching her hips sway as she walked.

As soon as they entered her room, Hermione closed the door, throwing Draco against it. He leaned down and kissed her again, pulling her close to him. She could feel his erection against her stomach and thought, _He certainly lives up to his reputation as the Slytherin Sex God_.

He slid his hand up her back, reaching the straps of her dress. Breaking the kiss, Hermione stepped back as he pulled the ties loose. Her dress pooled around her feet, leaving her in nothing but her knickers.

_Bloody hell,_ he thought, looking at her half-naked form. He couldn't believe how stunningly beautiful she looked, as he picked her up and laid her on her bed. He stepped out of his own pants, laying down on top of her and continuing to kiss her passionately.

As they removed their last bits of clothing, Draco whispered a silencing spell around the room. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him, smirking skeptically. Draco smirked back, and proceeded to show her exactly why they needed that spell.

Needless to say, Draco did not end up picking his son up from the Manor that night.

--

**That's hot. All I can say is finally! Please tell me what you think; I've never written these scenes before. I usually shy away from them, leaving it up to the imagination. Constructive criticism por favor. Thanks you guys!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Morning After

**Chapter 10: The Morning After**

"Hmmf," Hermione grunted, trying to move herself out of Draco's grasp. "I can't breathe, Malfoy."

"You can't breathe?" he asked disbelievingly. "I'm the one being smothered by the mop you call hair," he joked, loosening his grip on her, but not releasing her fully. She smacked him lightly on the chest as she stretched out the kinks in her muscles.

"So last night…," she started, turning so that her back was flush against his front.

"Last night," he repeated, pulling her closer and showering kisses down her neck. Hermione sighed deeply, closing her eyes. Seeing her reaction, Draco smirked against her neck, moving his hand up and down her arm lightly.

She giggled as he tickled her side, swatting his hand away. "You should know, I don't usually do this on the first date," she continued.

"This?" he teased, continuing to lavish attention against Hermione's neck.

"You know…'it'?" she said using air quotes. "I don't normally do it on the first date," she repeated, turning red.

Draco smirked again, turning her over so that she was lying on her back. Rolling on top of her, he continued kissing down her neck and throat, stopping between her breasts. "So what made you change your mind?" he asked with mock innocence.

Hermione moaned lightly as he began to work his magic on her breasts, softly running his hands up and down her sides at the same time. "Well, it was different with you, you know? I mean, because we've known each other for so long. What I mean is that…with you, it was…er…different," she replied haltingly, gasping as he moved lower down her body.

"Just admit it Granger. I'm irresistible," Draco interjected cheekily.

She was about to respond with a scathing comeback, but as he dipped his tongue into her bellybutton and his hands moved down to her inner thighs, all rational thought flew out of her head.

_Oh my god, that tongue!_ she cried silently as Draco went even lower on her, making her see stars. Just when she thought she was about to burst, he stopped his ministrations, kissing his way back up to her lips.

Delirious with pleasure, but not fully satisfied, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him hungrily. He kissed her back with just as much fervor, positioning himself at her entrance to bring them both relief.

He entered her in one quick thrust, and they groaned simultaneously at their intimacy. Draco's rapid pace soon brought them to the brink of ecstasy, and Hermione thought she was being driven out of her mind. He moved from her lips to the crook of her neck, sucking on her sensitive skin. Hermione could feel herself going over the edge, and as Draco lightly bit on the spot on her neck, she moaned her release loudly. As she convulsed around him, Draco felt himself peak as well, groaning as he reached his orgasm.

Panting and sweaty, he rested his head between Hermione's breasts as she ran her fingers through his hair. She quickly whispered a contraceptive spell while they both struggled to catch their breath.

"So, are you hungry?" Hermione asked after a while.

"Starving," Draco replied, jumping out of bed so they could make their way to the kitchen.

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"I wonder how Hermione's date went last night," Ginny thought out loud, looking across the breakfast table at Harry.

"Knowing the two of them, it was either really good, or an utter disaster," Harry replied, not looking up from _The Prophet_.

"Hmm, d'you think they slept together?" she asked bluntly, finally eliciting a reaction out of her husband.

"I don't know! I don't want to know either! Hermione's like my sister, Gin. I don't need to hear about her sex life, especially if it involves Malfoy," he cried, disgustedly throwing down his newspaper.

"Oh grow up, Harry," she teased, rolling her eyes. "She's a grown woman. And he's a grown man. It's only natural for the two of them to do what grown women and men do."

Harry wrinkled his nose, feigning a gag. "Why don't you call her and talk to her about it instead of me?"

"I can't call her. Don't you know anything, Harry?" she asked exasperatedly. "If the date went well, then Malfoy may be at her house right now."

"Oh god, don't even say that," he responded, covering his ears. Ginny laughed at her husband's immaturity, clearing off their table.

"Do you think they're good together?" she asked him seriously, pondering over the thought herself.

"I dunno," he answered with a shrug, getting up to help Ginny clean. He looked over at her worried face, full of concern for her friend. He sighed, and started, "Yeah. I do think they're good together. A little bit volatile, but if anyone can manage Draco, it's Hermione. And vice versa," he added with a smile.

"Hermione's so afraid that she's going to ruin the relationship she has with Alex though, if the relationship between her and Draco doesn't work out. She loves that kid, and I think that she could love Draco if she just lets herself," Ginny added, getting frustrated.

"It might take both of them a little while to realize how perfect they are for each other, but as long as they have Alex pushing them together, they'll be fine," Harry said, smirking as he remembered how relieved Alex was when Draco finally asked Hermione out.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, confusion apparent on her face. "I'm sure that Draco's 5 year old son isn't setting them up."

"You'd be surprised, Gin. He's really smart, and he's the reason why Hermione and Draco have been spending so much time together. He brought them together in a way, and now it's up to them to figure out how to make everything work."

"No wonder Hermione loves that kid; he seems like he's really adorable and smart as well," she said, feeling more relieved about her friend's relationship. "I'm so jealous! I'm the only one who hasn't met him yet!"

Laughing, Harry enveloped his affronted wife in a hug as they finished cleaning up their breakfast.

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Draco stood in front of the mirror in Hermione's bedroom, tying his tie and fixing his hair. He turned as she walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom, wearing nothing but a silky red bathrobe. She plopped down on the bed, still drying her hair with a towel.

"So your parents babysat Alex last night?" she asked as he slipped his suit jacket on. He joined her on her bed and began putting on his shoes.

"Yeah," he replied, not looking forward to going to the Manor.

"And did you plan on letting him spend the night there?" she continued, looking at him suspiciously with a smirk on her face.

"Actually no," he answered as he finished tying his shoes and turned to face her. "I didn't think you'd be that easy," he added, smirking back.

Hermione's mouth dropped open and she smacked him on the arm as realization slowly dawned on her. "Wait," she said, "your parents knew we were going on a date last night, and Alex spent the night at the Manor. Oh my god! They're going to know that we had sex last night!" she cried, mortified.

Draco laughed at her embarrassed expression, pulling her onto his lap. "Granger, why do you care about what my parents think, anyway? I don't."

Hermione pouted, replying, "I don't care about what you're parents think, really. But I don't want them to think I'm some kind of…I don't know, harlot or something."

He snorted loudly, earning him another smack across the arm. "I'm not trying to be an ass or anything, but honestly, a harlot? Who says harlot anymore?" he teased, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Seeing how affected she was, he kissed her forehead lightly. "Don't worry, Granger. Anyone who knows you would never mistake you for a harlot," he reassured her soothingly, suppressing a laugh as he repeated the word.

She smiled slightly, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. He held her there, and her innocent kiss quickly turned into a make-out session. As Draco began to untie the sash around her robe, Hermione stopped him, pulling away.

"Draco, we just showered, and you have to go pick up your son. We don't have time for this," she reprimanded, though she felt her resolve fading as he stroked her legs softly, kissing her hands. "Are you always this sex-driven, or am I just that irresistible?" she teased him.

"You drive me out of my mind, Granger," he said huskily, sending chills down her spine. He continued to kiss her all over her face, everywhere but her lips.

She giggled again, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl. "The good way or the bad way?" she asked as he kissed her eyelids.

"The very, very good way," he said, hovering over her lips. "Dinner tomorrow night?" he whispered against her lips.

"Isn't that a school night?" she asked, running her fingers through his hair.

"Day off, for parent-teacher conferences. Alex has a sleepover at a friend's house," he explained. "Without quidditch," he added.

She laughed quietly, leaning closer to him, so that they were nearly kissing. "Dinner it is, then," she said as their lips collided. She moaned into their kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Once again breaking their kiss after a while, Hermione got off of Draco's lap and they walked to the fireplace. As Draco walked into the fire, he turned to see Hermione walking away. His mind wandered to what lay beneath her robe and he groaned, thinking, _Merlin, she's going to drive me crazy._

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"Is Draco still not back to pick up Alex?" Lucius asked Narcissa as he entered the living room, where Narcissa and Alex were sitting and reading.

"No, not yet," she replied, looking at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Daddy must have had a really good time with Hermione last night," Alex exclaimed innocently. "He was so tired, he didn't even pick me up last night."

Narcissa and Lucius shared a glance, knowing how good of a time Draco must have had with Hermione the night before.

At that moment, the fire in the foyer turned green as Draco stepped into the Manor. Alex jumped out of his seat on the sofa and ran up to hug his father.

"Daddy!" he cried, jumping into his arms. "Did you have fun? And why are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?"

"I had a lot of fun, Alex. And I'm wearing the same clothes because I happen to look good in them, don't you think?" he replied, easily dodging Alex's potentially embarrassing question. He turned to face his parents, who were looking at him suspiciously.

"Alex, why don't you run upstairs and gather all of your things?" Narcissa suggested, waiting for the boy to leave the room before turning to Draco.

"So I assume your date with Hermione went well last night, and that was why you neglected to pick up your son?" she prodded, nosing for more information.

"You know what they say about people who assume things," Draco started cheekily.

"No, Draco. What do they say?" Narcissa countered, crossing her arms across her chest and staring at her son.

"That they shouldn't do it," he ended lamely, unable to insult his mother under her intense gaze.

"Very profound," she said sarcastically, taking a seat next to her son. "Now, we're all adults here, so we should be able to carry an adult conversation. Clearly, we all know about the events that took place that prevented you from picking up Alex last night."

Draco groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands. _Could this be any more awkward?_ he thought to himself.

"So what are your intentions with the girl? Do you see yourself pursuing a relationship with her, or was it just a one-night liaison?"

_Oh my god, it can_, he thought, cringing at his mother's intrusive question.

"One-night liaison?" Lucius interrupted, smirking. "Narcissa, nobody calls them 'liaisons' anymore," he explained, earning him a glare from his wife. Draco watched their exchange in horror, remembering his similar moment with Hermione.

"Because if you are only planning on seeing Hermione once, you may have a difficult time explaining the situation to Alex," Narcissa continued, ignoring her husband's comment. "He seems to be rather attached to the girl, so you must be careful. You cannot carry yourself around women as you used to before Pansy and Alex, do you understand?"

"Mother! You don't think I know that I have to act differently now that Alex is with me?" he asked, irritated by his mother's patronizing lecture. "If there is anything I am consistently good at it's being a father. I know how to handle this situation with Alex, all right?"

"So you are planning on seeing her again?" Narcissa asked, searching for more information about Draco's love life.

Draco sighed loudly, running his hands through his hair. "Yes, mother. I am seeing her again. And I will talk to Alex about the entire thing when we get home. Does that meet your approval?" he asked sarcastically.

Ignoring her son's tone, Narcissa replied, "Yes, it does."

Rolling his eyes, Draco looked towards the stairway, waiting for Alex to come so that they could leave.

"We will want to meet her properly, over dinner, if she's to be a part of yours and Alex's lives," she added quickly as Alex ran down the stairs.

Before Draco had the chance to reply, Alex joined the three of them in the living room. Amazed by his mother's cunning manipulation, Draco stood up and began to walk towards the fireplace. He grabbed Alex and his bag, moving as fast as he could.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Never leave me alone with those two, you understand?" he whispered to his son, who laughed in response as they flooed home.

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"What did you guys do together?" Alex asked his father as they reached home.

Draco took a seat on his sofa, pulling Alex onto his lap. "Well, we went out to dinner, and after dinner, we took a walk and talked for a while."

"D'you like her a lot?" he asked hopefully.

"You know, I think I do," Draco replied honestly, eliciting a smile out of his son. Grinning widely, Alex wrapped his arms around his father's neck, giving him a big hug. Draco laughed at Alex's response, hugging him back as well.

"Good. Because I like her a lot too. And I want you guys to be happy together," he continued, rather maturely. Draco looked down at him, surprised at how grown up he sounded.

"Good," Draco said. "Because it's you and me forever, so anyone new has to be approved by both of us, got it?"

"Well, I approve Daddy. Just don't mess it up," he added, looking up at his father seriously. Draco laughed, enveloping his son in another hug.

"I'll do my best," he responded. "I'm going out with her again on Monday night. Any suggestions as to where we should go?"

"She always talks about this place called Stacked that she's always wanted to go to," Alex suggested helpfully.

"Stacked? I've never heard of it. What kind of food do they serve there?" Draco asked, surprised that Alex knew about this place and he didn't.

"I dunno. It's a bookstore and a café type place. She told me about it a couple of times, and it sounds cool," Alex explained, earning him a glare from his father.

"A bookstore? On a date? I swear, sometimes I worry what kind of influence Granger has had on you," Draco complained, rolling his eyes at Alex's bookworm tendencies.

"Why do you always call her 'Granger'? Her name's Hermione, Dad," Alex asked.

"It's habit," Draco explained. "I've called her Granger for as long as I've known her; it's odd to call her anything else."

Alex slid off of his father's lap, shaking his head. "You're so weird," he muttered as he walked out of the room.

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"I'm coming!" Hermione called into the living room, running to answer the Floo call from her fireplace. "Hey, Gin. I've been meaning to talk to you," she said as she entered her living room to find her best friend on her sofa.

"So, how was the date?" Ginny asked excitedly, jumping right into the gossip.

Hermione laughed at her friend's enthusiasm as she joined her on the sofa. "It went surprisingly well. He was really charming, and everything was just perfect," she answered, a giddy smile forming on her face.

"And…?" Ginny prodded, looking at her expectantly. "Did you two have sex?"

Blushing furiously, Hermione glared at Ginny, swatting at her with a pillow. "Gin, I'm not going to tell you that. I don't kiss and tell."

"Well, of course you kissed. I don't want to know about that. Did you two go at it?" she asked bluntly.

"Gin!" Hermione cried, her eyes widening in shock at her friend's crass question. "What is wrong with you?"

"Oh come on. I'm already married, there's nothing new for me to get excited about. I have to live vicariously through your relationships," Ginny explained with a pout.

Hermione blushed again, looking down at her hands. Seeing her friend's nervous reaction, Ginny's face lit up with realization.

"Oh my god, you did! You had sex with him! You little tart!" she teased, ducking as Hermione threw a pillow at her head. "So how was it?"

"Well, the first time –" Hermione started, before being interrupted by Ginny.

"The first time?" she asked disbelievingly. "How many times were there?"

"A few," Hermione replied, turning red again. "And then twice in the morning."

"Oh my god! How did he even keep it up that long? Wait, how big was it?"

Raising one eyebrow, Hermione looked at Ginny knowingly. Laughing loudly, Ginny punched her friend in the arm lightly, comprehending her unspoken appraisal.

"Well of course it was. He's a bloody sex god!" she cried. "So are you guys going out again?"

"This Monday night," Hermione answered, smiling slightly again. "Alex has a sleepover party."

"How's the whole Alex thing going to work out then?" Ginny asked seriously.

"I dunno, actually. I don't want to do anything to interfere between the relationship between Alex and Draco. And I don't want to ruin anything between me and Alex either. I think Draco and I are just going to take things slowly, no pressure," she explained.

"You call sleeping together on the first date 'taking things slowly'?" Ginny teased, dodging another pillow aimed at her head.

"I'm just kidding," she said, coming over to hug her friend. "I'm glad you guys are together; you're so good together, as long as you don't kill each other." Hermione laughed, hugging Ginny back, anxious for Monday night to come along.

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**Sorry it took so long. I was having writer's block and I had four huge tests this week. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I'll try to update as soon as possible. BTW, you guys rock! I have over 200 reviews! I don't even have to tell you to R&R, do I?**


	11. Chapter 11: A Misunderstanding?

**Chapter 11: A Misunderstanding?**

"I just don't understand how it's possible. All of the Weasleys play, Potter plays, even the Weaselette plays. How do you not know the rules of Quidditch?" Draco asked incredulously.

For their second date, Draco took Hermione to Blaise's Quidditch match, and planned on going out for dinner afterwards. The match was between Puddlemore United, Blaise and Oliver Wood's team, and the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite team. As the match began, Draco soon realized that Hermione had no idea what was going on, which baffled him because her friends were all Quidditch players.

"I never really cared about the game, it's so confusing," Hermione explained.

"So then what did you do during the Gryffindor matches? Because you always went to those," Draco continued.

"I would read. I would look up often, to make sure nobody fell off of a broom, or when one of the teams scored. But I don't exactly know all of the rules," she amended.

"I can't believe you don't like Quidditch," Draco added, shaking his head at her. "It's only the best game in the whole world. Okay Granger, today's your chance to learn all there is to know about Quidditch. You've got the resident expert by your side to explain everything."

Hermione snorted loudly in response, blushing as she realized how unattractive that was.

"Cute," Draco replied with a smirk. "Now, did you see that? That move that Kilmer just did is called the Wronski Feint, all right? It's one of the classic moves for a Seeker."

"Which one's the Seeker?" Hermione asked, though she already knew the answer. She wasn't completely clueless when it came to Quidditch, growing up with Ron and Harry. She did, however, immensely enjoy seeing Draco's eyes bulge out of his head as she pretended to be dense.

"That's my position! That's bloody Potter's position! Even if you didn't remember that I played Seeker at Hogwarts, you'd think you would know what position precious Potter played!" Draco cried, exasperated.

"Oh right," Hermione said, feigning realization. "So what was that one then?" she asked as she pointed to a move that one of the players on the Cannons had executed.

"That's Zabini showing off, there's nothing technical about it," he replied with a smirk, eliciting a laugh out of Hermione.

Draco continued to explain the players' movements to Hermione, pointing out intricate plays excitedly using technical descriptions. Losing interest and noticing that he was so involved in explaining the game that he didn't notice she wasn't paying attention, she pulled out a book and began to read. Finally turning around to look at her, Draco was appalled to see her reading instead of watching the enthralling match.

"Granger!" he yelled, grabbing the book out of her hands. "You can't read at a Quidditch match. Are you bloody insane?"

"Malfoy! Give me that book back," she cried, reaching for her book.

Draco pocketed the book, turning so that Hermione wouldn't be able to reach it. "Now watch the match. It's surprising how close it is, considering the Cannons are just dreadful."

Hermione resignedly turned her attention back to the game, lost now that she hadn't been watching. After a while, still not interested in the game, she turned to Draco. With a small smile on her face, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. He smirked in response, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Nice try, but no," he replied, shifting so that her book was still out of her reach.

"Fine," she huffed, crossing her arms across her chest and watching the game with a sullen expression.

Sighing deeply, Draco gave up and returned her book. Her face lit up, and she gave him another kiss on the cheek as she resumed reading. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to the game, disappointed that he couldn't convert her.

Hermione looked over at Draco, who seemed to have lost interest in the game as well. Looking down at her book where she had just reached the part where the mystery comes to a close, she closed it and put it back in her bag. Linking her arm with his, she leaned against him.

"So what was that move?" she asked with a small smile.

Draco looked back at her, raising his eyebrow again. "That was a defensive maneuver, to strip the Quaffle from the opposing Chasers," he explained, returning her smile.

She nodded, beginning to understand. "And was that a Wronski Feint?" she asked as one of the Seekers executed a complicated move.

"Yeah," he replied, shocked that she had remembered the move. He looked over at her equally surprised expression and began to laugh. "You pulled that out of your ass didn't you?" he teased.

Hermione laughed in response, shrugging her shoulders.

"So is this your idea of a romantic second date, Draco?" she asked after a while.

"No," he replied. "What comes after is the romantic part."

"What comes after?" she asked, looking up at him.

"The part where I show you some of my moves with my broomstick," he answered with a devilish smirk.

Hermione blushed deeply, smacking him on the arm. She bit her lip thoughtfully, wondering what "moves" he could possibly have apart from the ones she had already seen.

Turning back to the match, she decided that Quidditch was rather exciting when she had a sexy date to explain the rules to her.

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"So have you told Hermione that you've got to go to Italy for two weeks?" Blaise asked Draco in his office.

"Yeah," Draco replied. "She was disappointed, but I made it up to her," he continued with a smirk. "A few times."

Blaise smirked back, shaking his head at his friend's good fortune. "I still can't believe she's dating you of all people," he complained. "If there was any Slytherin who had a chance with her, I thought it would be me."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Blaise. "You missed your chance, mate. She's off-limits now," he warned protectively.

"Getting attached, aren't we? That was fast; you've only had a few dates," Blaise pointed out.

"I'm not that attached," Draco argued defensively. "But it's Granger; you either love her or you hate her."

"So you love her?" Blaise asked slyly, catching Draco's underlying comment.

Thrown off guard, Draco spluttered, "What?! No! I meant…er…no." He looked away quickly, missing Blaise's surprised expression. He had never seen the blonde so flabbergasted. _Fuck he's in deep_, he thought with a smile.

"Whatever. Don't split hairs, mate. I may be a sneaky, underhanded bloke, but I never steal. Girlfriends at least," he allayed.

Draco scoffed, but relaxed nonetheless. He hadn't realized how strong his feelings for Hermione had grown, and they were starting to scare him. _Maybe these two weeks away from her will be good for me,_ he thought. _Give me some time to think._

"Back to business," Blaise said, bringing Draco out of his thoughts. "You have to get this merger with the Castiglionis. Can you imagine how huge we would become?"

"Of course I can imagine it. Why do you think I'm pursuing it?" Draco replied. "We would be able to expand to Italy as well as our branches in France and Ireland."

"Then Spain and the US, and we would become international moguls," Blaise added with a dreamy expression.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Draco warned, ending Blaise's daydream. "We still haven't finalized this merger, and we still have to confer with the infamous Maria Castiglioni. How that bitch got to be the president of that company is beyond me."

"Probably screwed the boss," Blaise answered, smirking.

Draco scrunched his face up in disgust. "That's disturbing, seeing as how the boss is her father," he clarified.

"Have you seen her?" Blaise continued with a snort. "She looks like she'd fuck anything with legs."

"Probably has," Draco muttered, shuddering at the memory of his last meeting with her.

"Better be careful," Blaise warned his friend. "She can seduce anything with legs, too."

"I'll be fine," Draco said, standing up and heading towards the door. "I just have to get through a meeting with the bint and I'll be fine."

"I dunno, mate," Blaise insisted. "From what I hear, she has a set on her that defies gravity. You know that's your weakness."

"Whatever," Draco said dismissively as they reached the fireplace. "I'd like to think I'm more mature than that at this point."

"You can think whatever you want, Draco," Blaise replied with a shrug. "Where are you going?"

"Pick up Alex," Draco answered shortly, irritated with his friend's suggestion.

"Is he staying with your parents for your trip?" Blaise asked.

Draco nodded, grimacing at the thought. "He wanted to stay with Granger, though," he added with a smile as he Flooed to Alex's school.

"Man, that kid really knows what he's doing," Blaise muttered, smirking at the wiles of the young Malfoy.

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"I can't believe it has been 3 years," Parvati Patel gushed, looking into Ron's eyes. "And we're getting married in a few months; it's like a fairy tale."

"Yeah, if you ignore the whole 'war, fighting for our right to live' part," Ron added, earning a glare from his fiancé.

"Ron, it's our anniversary," she reprimanded. "Could you at least try to be romantic?" They were enjoying dinner at _Amore Mio_ to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of their first date, a concept Ron still found slightly ridiculous. Nevertheless, he went along with Parvati's whims, and even bought her a beautiful diamond bracelet to match her engagement ring.

"I'm sorry Parv," he said, smiling widely. She rolled her eyes at his immaturity, but smiled despite herself.

"So are you sure you're okay with a winter wedding?" he asked her for the hundredth time, knowing she had always dreamt of a spring wedding.

"For the last time, yes!" she cried, grabbing his hand. "I love the idea of a winter wedding, and it'll be beautiful. Are you sure you're okay with having an Indian wedding?"

Ron rolled his eyes at her, laughing. "Parv, everyone knows that the wedding is the bride's day. We'll do this however you want."

"It's your day too, Ron. You're getting married as well," she countered.

"Yes, but I haven't dreamt of this day since I was a little girl," he said, pausing as he realized what he had just said, eliciting a laugh out of Parvati. "Besides, I'm more concerned with the honeymoon," he added with a smirk.

"Yeah right," Parvati replied, lightly smacking his arm. "You just don't want to do any work."

"Well, there's that too," Ron conceded, earning another smack from his soon-to-be wife.

"Hey, when did Draco get back from his business trip?" she asked suddenly, pointing to someone behind Ron.

He turned around, and saw Draco entering the restaurant, taking a seat in a cozy booth in the back. Turning back to face Parvati, he shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, I guess recently. I thought he wasn't supposed to come home until tomorrow night."

"I bet he's having dinner with Hermione," she continued, smiling. "Oh, they are such an attractive couple...and with Alex? Adorable. We should go say hi," she suggested.

"Yeah, that's romantic," Ron countered sarcastically. "Let's just wait for dessert, we'll catch up with them on our way out."

"All right," she agreed, but continued to look back at the blonde who was waiting for his date to arrive.

She looked up at the entrance, searching for Hermione when she spotted a woman entering the restaurant. In her skin-tight, barely-there dress and her over-filled top, she attracted the attention of many of the male diners.

"Good lord," Parvati cried, wrinkling her nose. "Didn't anybody tell her that this is a classy restaurant? What a tramp!"

Ron turned around to take a look, his eyes bulging out of his head as he openly gaped at her chest, much like the rest of the men in the restaurant. He watched in surprise as she joined Draco in the cozy booth in the back.

"Wait! When did Hermione and Draco break up?" Parvati asked, looking over at Ron.

"I didn't think they did," he answered, narrowing his eyes at the blonde and his date.

"Well, they must have," she continued, "unless he's…You don't think he's cheating on her, do you?"

"For his sake, they better have broken up," Ron growled as he clenched his fists and headed towards Draco's table.

"Ronald!" Parvati cried, pulling his arm to make him sit down again. "You don't know what is going on, so you can't just cause a scene right now. Let's wait and talk to Hermione. They probably broke up, and she must be devastated."

"I hope so," he muttered. "Wait no, that's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant," she interrupted. "We'll go and talk to her tonight, all right?"

"And if they haven't broken up, we'll tell her about him cheating on her, and then we can collectively kick his ass," he added.

"I thought you were friends now. Why are you so sure that he is cheating on her?" she asked, looking over at the two. Draco's date was draped over him in their confined space, batting her thick eyelashes at him while rubbing her obviously fake breasts all over him. Parvati wrinkled her nose in disgust, turning away from the disturbing display.

"I'm not sure," he conceded, shuddering as he looked at the couple. "But if he is, I'll kill him, son or not."

Laying a sack of galleons on the table to pay for their meal, Ron led Parvati out of the restaurant, glaring once more at Draco and his horrible date.

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Hermione lay on her sofa, surrounded by massive pillows, relaxing after an arduous shift at the hospital. Picking up her book, she settled in and began to read, slowly drifting to sleep.

As she dozed off, she thought about her relationship with Malfoy. They had been going out for a few weeks, although he was in Italy for the last two. She was growing more attached to him, and Alex as well. Just the other day, they had gone to Diagon Alley to shop for Christmas gifts, and she loved spending time with the child.

Her mind wandered to tomorrow, when Draco would finally be coming home. _I wonder if he missed me as much as I missed him,_ she thought, smiling in anticipation of seeing him again. Curling into her pillows, she fell asleep dreaming about how she would welcome him home, only to be interrupted by someone calling for her from the Floo Network.

"'Mione? Are you there?" came the voice of Ron. She answered wearily, lifting the wards to let him in.

"Ron, what are you doing here?" she asked, sitting up. She noticed that Parvati was with him as well, and they were both dressed up.

"Oh, today's your anniversary isn't it?" she cried, running up to hug both of them. "Where did you guys go?"

"We went to _Amore Mio_," Parvati gushed, momentarily forgetting why they came over. "And look at the bracelet Ron gave me," she continued, extending her hand to show off her jewelry.

"Oh my god!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. She looked over at Ron with a surprised look, laughing at his sheepish expression.

"So why are you guys here?" she repeated. "It's not exactly the most romantic ending to your night."

Parvati and Ron looked at each other, each urging the other to start speaking.

"Well, we just wanted to make sure you were okay," Ron began, sitting down on the sofa and bringing Hermione with him.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" she asked with a laugh. "I mean, I'm exhausted after my long hours at St. Mungo's today, but I'm fine. I'm actually really good. Draco comes home tomorrow, and we're going out with Alex," she said with a giddy smile.

Parvati sighed, frustrated because she had hoped Draco was not cheating on her friend. Ron's eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw angrily.

"I'll kill him," he growled again, standing up and heading towards the fireplace.

"Kill who?" Hermione asked, stopping him and regarding him curiously. She looked from Ron to Parvati, and both looked away from her. "What's going on you guys?"

After a while, Ron sighed, explaining, "We saw Draco at _Amore Mio _tonight. He was with some trampy girl, who's nowhere near as pretty as you."

Hermione shook her head disbelievingly. "No, Draco's in Italy still. He doesn't come back until tomorrow. You guys must have seen someone else," she rationalized.

"He's kind of hard to miss," Parvati said quietly, not wanting to make things any harder on Hermione. "And his date was too. But in a bad way. She looked absolutely dreadful."

Hermione looked from Ron to Parvati, finally believing that they were telling the truth. _I can't believe it_, she thought, holding back tears. _Here I am waiting for him to come home, and he's off on a date with some bimbo._

"Look, 'Mione, fuck him, all right?" Ron said harshly, wrapping her into a hug. "You're way too good for that bastard."

"Yeah, Hermione," Parvati added. "Any guy that would even think about cheating on you isn't worth another second of your time."

Hermione nodded, afraid if she tried to speak, she would begin to cry. Suddenly she wanted to be alone, however comforting her friends were trying to be.

"You guys, I really appreciate you telling me this. But I just want to be alone right now, is that all right?" she asked.

Ron frowned, seeing her eyes well up with tears. "I'll kill him," he repeated, hating that he made his best friend cry.

"No, Ron," Hermione pled. "Just leave him alone. I'll deal with him."

Staring her down, he reluctantly agreed, realizing she was serious. "D'you want anything?" he asked kindly.

"No, I just want to be alone," she replied, biting her lip.

He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Parvati came and gave her a hug and the couple walked towards the fireplace.

"Call us if you need anything," Parvati added as she Flooed home.

The moment her friends left, Hermione sat back on the sofa. Hugging one of her oversized pillows, she began to cry, thinking how stupid she must have been to believe that Draco Malfoy actually liked her. _I can't believe I fell for him_, she cried, punching her pillow angrily.

Looking across the room, she spotted the framed picture of the two of them from the Quidditch match. They had taken it after the match, in the middle of the pitch. Hermione was laughing while holding the Snitch, and Draco had his arms around her, watching her intensely.

_Oh my god, _she thought suddenly. _I think I love him_.

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**Oh Draco. What have you done? Don't worry, this story isn't going to become all emo or anything. Just figured there should be a few ups and downs, to make it interesting. It'll all work out my friends. Please R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12: Make Up or Break Up

**Chapter 12: Make Up or Break Up**

Hermione stood on her tiptoes, stretching to hang the Christmas lights on the walls of Flourish and Blotts. She opted to hang up the decorations the Muggle way in order to distract herself from the fact that Draco would be "coming home" tonight. Still furious with him, and utterly confused after her realization, she wasn't sure how she should react when they met up again.

_He definitely deserves to be hexed to the moon_, she thought angrily, dropping her strand of lights. As she tried to reach down to catch it before it fell to the ground, she lost her balance and fell off of the table she was standing on. Bracing herself for the impact with the ground, she was surprised when she felt herself fall into someone's arms. She opened her eyes, only to be met with the steel grey eyes of the one man she wanted to avoid.

"Really graceful, aren't we Granger?" he teased, smirking at her. Her heart began to pound as she looked at him, willing herself to stay calm and hold her ground.

She narrowed her eyes at him without replying, backing away as soon as he put her down on the ground.

"I know I wasn't supposed to come back until tonight," he continued, "but we finished up faster than I had planned so I came home early,"

"So I've heard," she muttered darkly, still glaring daggers at him. He looked back at her in confusion, but before he could say anything, Alex came running up to the couple.

"Hey Hermione," he greeted, giving her a hug. Hermione relaxed a little, not wanting to fight with Draco in front of Alex, or in the middle of a bookstore for that matter. "So are you going to come tonight?"

"Oh, I dunno," she answered awkwardly, avoiding Draco's gaze. "I've been really busy lately, and I have a lot of work to do with the holidays coming up and all," she lied.

"But you promised," Alex pled, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes. "Besides, today we can put up the decorations in our house. Daddy's not very good with them, and you said you would help me make the house all Christmassy."

Hermione sighed, still ignoring Alex's father. "Well, all right. I guess I can help for a little while, but I don't know if I can stay for long."

"Wicked!" he exclaimed, giving her another hug.

"Granger," Draco began, trying to understand her sudden change of mood.

"I have to go now," she said to Alex, cutting Draco off. "I'll see you tonight then? Feel free to look around for new books, Alex."

With that, she walked away from Alex and Draco, leaving the latter utterly confused.

_What the hell was that about? _he thought, frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair as he watched her walk away quickly. _She can't possibly know about last night._

Alex looked up at his father's expression, noticing the hostility between Draco and Hermione. Shaking his head disappointedly, he ran off to the children's section to search for new books.

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"I can't believe that fucking asshole," Ron shouted at Harry, throwing his pillow across the Harry's living room.

Harry calmly _Accio_'d it, putting it back in its place on the sofa. "Come on, Ron. You don't know what's going on."

Ron turned to Harry, an outraged expression on his face. "How can you defend that ferret? He's cheating on Hermione, our best friend," he cried.

"I'm not defending anyone, Ron. I'm just saying that you don't know the entire story. And I don't think you should have told Hermione without knowing the whole story," Harry rationalized. "If you're wrong, she'll just be hurt for no reason."

"I'm not wrong Harry," Ron argued.

"How do you know?" Harry challenged, getting frustrated at his friend. "What exactly did you see that makes you so sure that Draco is cheating on Hermione?"

"First of all, the bastard was supposed to be in Italy, but it turns out he's in England. He's a liar," Ron began angrily. "Even if he came back early, why didn't he tell Hermione? And why is he going to romantic restaurants with buxom blondes? You didn't see them Harry, they were all over each other. It was disgusting."

"I dunno," Harry said disbelievingly. "I know he's not the nicest person in the world, but he's never cheated before, we know that much. Even with Pansy, and if there was anyone he would cheat on, it would be her. Don't forget, he's changed a lot from the ferret he was in school. You and I both know he's not a bastard. There's got to be an explanation."

"What other explanation is there?" Ron countered.

"Maybe she was a business associate," Harry offered reasonably.

"What business was she doing the way she was dressed?" Ron asked. "No Harry, there's no way she was a business associate in that dress. Besides, why was he in England and not Italy?"

"I dunno," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders. "He said something about merging his business with some Italian one to expand, didn't he?"

"The Castiglionis," Ron answered.

"The Castiglionis?" Harry repeated, furrowing his brow. "Where have I heard that name before?"

A look of realization crossed his face as he turned to face Ron. "Wait, was this so-called date a blonde with breasts the size of footballs?"

"What is a football?" Ron asked.

"The size of Quaffles," Harry amended, laughing at Ron's obliviousness towards Muggle sports.

"Yeah," Ron replied. "But she wasn't really attractive at all, especially compared to 'Mione. I can't believe Malferret would trade Hermione for that tramp."

"Idiot, that's Maria Castiglioni," Harry explained. "She's the president of the company that Draco wants to merge with. They were probably having dinner to hash out the details of the merger. I met her a few years ago; honestly, she'll flirt with anything with a pulse."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, still skeptical.

"I'm pretty sure Draco's not cheating," Harry repeated. "Like I said, Draco's not a cheater. He's not stupid either, so he's not going to leave Hermione for a woman like Maria Castiglioni."

"Shit," Ron groaned. "I told Hermione he was cheating on her, and she looked devastated. What if they break up now?"

"They won't," Harry consoled. "Hermione's smart enough to let Draco talk to her before deciding to just end the relationship. Besides, if they do break up, you'll just have to fix it, since you broke it."

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Hermione walked into Draco and Alex's living room, greeted by Alex and Butler. Their flat was normally decorated with the exception of the ten-foot fir tree in the corner. There was a pile of lights and other decorations next to the tree that Alex was ruffling through.

"Hey Hermione," he greeted, waving her over. "See, Dad buys all of the decorations, but he never puts them up. Mum always used to be the one to put them up, but she would make the house elves do it, not me."

Hermione frowned at this abuse of house elves, kneeling down to look through the pile herself. "Well, the two of us can decorate the living room and the halls to your heart's content. Is your father out?" she asked nonchalantly, though secretly hoping he was.

"Right here, Granger. Nice to know you're thinking of me," he teased.

"I can't stay for long," she lied again. "I have a lot of work to do tonight."

"But you just said you would help me until my heart's content," Alex complained, pleading with her to stay.

Realizing he was right, Hermione agreed to stay until all of the decorations were put up. Draco watched as she and Alex began to hang tinsel on the tree, wondering again why Hermione was being so standoffish. He had been waiting to come home to her, after two weeks in one of the most romantic places in the world. Her angry expression was turning him on to no end, and her tight sweater was not helping the matter.

Hermione could feel Draco's eyes on her, and his gaze made her nervous. She hadn't planned on confronting him in front of Alex, and she promised herself she wouldn't fall for any of his charming tricks. Her resolve began to fade as soon as she saw him. Although he was simply wearing jeans and a sweater, he looked incredible, which only reminded her of how much she had missed him. _No, _she reprimanded herself_, you're stronger than that; pull yourself together. You're apparently resistible, since he cheated on you._

All of a sudden, Draco's cell phone went off, and he left the room to find it. Alex began to sing Christmas carols, breaking the tension in the room. Hermione laughingly joined in, forgetting about her issue for a while.

Out of the blue, Alex asked her, "Why are you and Dad not talking to each other anymore? Are you guys having a fight?"

Hermione froze, not sure how to respond to his question. "Umm, don't worry about it Alex. Whatever is going on, you shouldn't be too concerned with it."

"But you guys are being so weird. Why aren't you acting like you did before?" he persisted.

"It's a grown-up thing. Your father may choose to explain it to you, but I don't think you should hear it from me," she replied, changing the subject. "So what do you want for Christmas?"

As Alex went on to explain his Christmas list, Hermione returned to her thoughts, wondering what she should do about her dilemma.

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"Now we have to decorate my room!" Alex cried excitedly, grabbing Hermione's hand and dragging her up the stairs.

The living room was abundantly "Christmassy," and the tree was well decorated with a glowing star at the top. Draco hung back to admire Alex and Hermione's handiwork. Though the lights were a bit over the top for him, he did appreciate how lively the room looked with Christmas spirit. After adding a few touches, he joined his son up in his room, much to Hermione's chagrin.

As he entered the room, Hermione and Alex had already begun to string lights on the wall, this time using magic because neither was tall enough to reach the ceiling.

"Very nice," he commented, sitting down on Alex's bed. Alex smiled and began to sing Christmas carols again while hanging random leftover decorations around his room.

Draco's cell phone rang again just as Hermione finished with the lights, and he answered it not bothering to leave the room.

"Hello," he greeted, his expression remaining neutral. "Yeah, I had a nice time last night too," he said, causing Hermione to look over at him quickly.

"We should do it again sometime," he continued, oblivious to her glare. She said goodbye to Alex suddenly, running out of the room.

Draco looked up, bewildered, hanging up the phone immediately and rushing after her.

"Granger!" he yelled, trying to get her to slow down. "What in the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

She stopped, turning around only to fix him with the iciest glare she had. "What's wrong with me?" she repeated incredulously. "You are the most insufferable git in the world, do you know that Malfoy?"

"Really?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And why is that?"

"You bloody well know why that is!" she cried, so angry she began to swear.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, now would I?" he yelled back, frustrated with her insane behavior.

She threw her hands up in the air in disbelief, scoffing skeptically. "Unbelievable! You're just going to stand there and act like you've done nothing? You know what, do whatever you want. I'm out," she ended, heading towards the fireplace.

"Fuck, Granger! What is it I'm supposed to have done?" he repeated, grabbing her arm to keep her from leaving.

"It's one thing to go on a date with another woman while you're supposedly on a 'business' trip; I get it, we're not exclusive, we haven't had the 'Talk.' But do you really have to answer her calls right in front of me? I mean do you know how stupid I felt when Ron and Parv told me about you and that woman? And I'm sitting at home waiting for you to come home, planning out…you know…it doesn't even matter what, because you don't deserve it."

"What do the Weasel and his girlfriend have anything to do about it?" he asked, utterly confused.

"They saw you at _Amore Mio_, with your date!" she yelled, pushing him away. "I know you have a reputation, but I thought it was different this time. God I feel so ridiculous. And why did you have to lie? Why do you men always lie? You could have told me you were coming home early. You could have told me you just needed me to help you get over your 8 month slump or whatever."

"Are you done with your bitter diatribe?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Taking her glare for a yes, he smirked at her, which only made her madder.

"Calm down, woman. Are you going to let me even try to explain?" he asked rhetorically. "I should have told you I was coming home yesterday, and I would have, had I known. It was a last minute decision, made by my 'date,'" he said with air quotes, "who happened to be Maria Castiglioni."

Recognizing the name, Hermione frowned embarrassedly, though she was not convinced.

"Yeah," he reiterated, taking a step closer. "She wanted to see the London office, so she could see what company she would be merging with."

Her eyes lit up, wanting to congratulate him on the acquisition, but still hating him.

"Referring to the question of our exclusivity, I would hope you didn't date anyone else while I was away, because I may just have to Avada them. And I didn't date her; in fact, if you think I did anything with her, you clearly have never seen her. Her breasts are as big as my head, which is actually not appealing to most normal men."

She laughed at this, finally believing his explanation and feeling extremely stupid. "Why didn't you just tell me about her?" she asked, swatting his arm lightly. "I wouldn't have gotten so angry."

"Tell you? When?" he asked incredulously. "When you were glaring daggers at me or yelling your lungs out? Besides, you look rather sexy when you want to kick my ass," he added with a smirk.

"You're such a sick bastard, Malfoy," she said, wrinkling her nose at him.

"And you're a jealous little girl, aren't you?" he teased, tugging her belt loop to bring her closer. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to share?"

He grabbed her wrist before she could smack him across the chest, bringing it around his neck. "And violent too. Don't worry, I understand. I'm irresistible. It's only natural to want me all to yourself."

"Tell me, does it hurt lugging around that enormous ego of yours?" she asked playfully, stepping closer to him.

"My ego is simply proportionate to a particular aspect of my physique," he replied, smirking lecherously.

Hermione regarded him critically before nodding. "Yes, your nose is quite large," she teased, earning a glare.

"It has been two weeks, maybe you need a reminder of what I'm talking about. In fact, your jealousy has ruined the mood for my 'coming home' sex," he complained, frowning at her childishly.

"Maybe," she conceded, smirking at him. "But we just had our first fight, which means we get to have make-up sex."

Draco's eyes sparkled mischievously as he leaned down towards Hermione. "I've heard make-up sex is the best kind, apart from angry sex. And between the two of us, I'm sure we'll have a lot of both," he said cheekily. "So what did you have planned?"

"Nothing," she replied, blushing.

He laughed at her shyness, repeating his question over and over again until she finally gave in.

"All right!" she conceded, looking up at him. "I planned dinner for the three of us. I was going to skip volunteering at Flourish and Blott's today and spend the whole day cooking."

Draco frowned, expecting something more racy. "I'm gone for two weeks and all you give me when I come home is dinner?"

"The dinner would be for the three of us," she clarified, smiling devilishly. "There would be dessert for you and me."

Draco smirked back at her, leaning down to kiss her.

"Wait!" she cried, pulling back a little. "What if Alex comes?"

"Alex is in his room," Draco answered, bringing her close again. "Besides, there's mistletoe," he explained, pointing above their heads.

Hermione looked up to see mistletoe hanging over the entryway they were standing in. "Alex and I definitely didn't put that there," she said, smiling at him.

"I added a few finishing touches," he replied, shrugging. "Come on, it's tradition," he continued, leaning in again for a kiss.

This time Hermione gave in, shivering as she felt his lips on hers again. If possible, the two moved closer together, Draco's arms snaking around her waist tightly. Their "traditional" kiss grew passionate quickly as Hermione felt her knees grow weak.

"Ewww!" Alex yelled all of a sudden, and Draco and Hermione shot apart. Apparently he had come down the stairs once he heard the yelling stop, and caught them kissing under the mistletoe.

Disgusted by their display of affection, he bolted up the stairs with his eyes closed tightly, somehow not tripping. Hermione, redder than a Weasley, glared at Draco, who just looked dazed and a little confused. She laughed at his expression, walking up the stairs to check on Alex. Draco broke out of his daze, cursing as he joined her and his son upstairs.

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"Yes, I know that they may be sleeping, Lucius. But what if something happened last night?" Narcissa asked her husband as they entered Draco's flat the next morning.

"What could have happened?" he countered, annoyed. "And if Draco couldn't handle it, what makes you think you can?"

She glared at him as she walked up the stairs, first to Alex's room. "All I know is that Draco hung up the phone abruptly, and didn't return any of my calls last night. Now be quiet," she scolded as she opened the door.

She looked in to find the room decorated much like the living room. On Alex's bed, father and son were fast asleep, both wrapped around Hermione, who was in the middle. All three faced the opposite wall, preventing Narcissa and Lucius from discerning if they were awake. Lucius began to leave, seeing that his son and grandson were both okay and not wanting to interrupt their sleep. Narcissa, however, noticed Hermione stirring and decided to wait for her to wake up.

Hermione tried to roll over, only to find that she couldn't move at all. Still drowsy, she opened one eye. Looking down, she saw Alex hugging her left arm with a death grip. Shifting so she could roll onto her back, she felt Draco move behind her, and his arm around her waist prevented her from moving as well.

Smiling to herself, she thought, _Like father like son_. Not wanting to disturb either of them, she shifted slightly again to make herself more comfortable before dozing off to sleep again. As she moved, however, she caught a glimpse of Narcissa and Lucius in the doorway, freezing in shock.

She tried to get up, but Narcissa just shook her head, smiling. She pointed outside, trying to say that she and Lucius would wait outside until they woke up. Hermione nodded as the two exited the room.

All of her movements didn't seem to affect Alex, who was still fast asleep. Draco on the other hand tightened his grip on her, muttering, "Stop fidgeting, Granger. I can't sleep with you twitching like that."

Hermione laughed, pinching him lightly. "That may be better seeing as how your parents are sitting outside waiting for you to wake up."

"Yeah right," he grumbled into her neck, still not opening his eyes.

"I'm serious," she insisted. "I would have gotten up, but you and your son have death grips on me, preventing me from moving at all."

"Shit!" he cried quietly, as he realized why his mother was here. "I didn't call her back last night," he groaned.

"Last night?" she asked.

"Yes. That call that you thought was my other girlfriend was actually my mother," he replied with a smirk.

Hermione blushed deeply, thankful that he couldn't see her face. "What were you saying then, about 'having a great time last night' and 'we should do it again?'"

"I slept at the Mansion that night," he explained. "She's been trying to convince me to move back there and stop 'living in squalor,' as she puts it."

"This is squalor?" she asked incredulously.

Laughing, he kissed her neck lightly before getting up and heading towards the door. "You can hide up here until Alex gets up," he told her quietly. "But the second that boy is awake, I expect the two of you down there to put me out of my misery."

Hermione laughed back, turning away from him and falling back to sleep.

Draco made his way down the stairs, only to find that his parents had already left. Relieved, he noticed a letter on his coffee table.

Draco,

I don't want to disturb yours and Alex's morning with Hermione, so we have left. But I would like to have lunch with the three of you if you are all available today. I expect to see you at 12:30 sharp, you know I don't like to eat my lunch any earlier or later than that. Please dress appropriately.

Mother

Draco frowned, reading the note again. _I love how she says she would like to have lunch, but then expects us to be there. Dressed appropriately_, he thought mockingly.

_Might as well get this over with, though_, he conceded, wondering how he would break the marvelous news to Hermione.

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**So, I wrote a longer chapter to make up for not updating for a week. Please don't hate me, I'm trying to update as often as I can, but school's kinda a bitch. Hope you all liked the chapter; I didn't want to extend their fight for too long, cause it's much more interesting when they're together. You guys are beasts about reviewing; I love the comments and the advice, keep 'em coming.**


	13. Chapter 13: Lunch With the Malfoys

**Chapter 13: Lunch With the Malfoys**

"Yes, but what is 'appropriately,' Draco? You still haven't explained that," Hermione complained as they headed towards the fireplace to Floo to the Malfoy Manor.

"It's dress pants and a button-down shirt, tie optional," Draco explained, fixing his hair in the mirror in the hallway.

"That's for you," she cried, panicking. "I don't think it would be very appropriate for me to show up in dress pants and a tie!"

"How am I supposed to know what's appropriate for a woman to wear to lunch?" he argued. "Pansy always knew what to wear; I didn't have to tell her."

Ignoring his implication that she was less capable than Pansy, Hermione straightened her skirt for the hundredth time, wringing her hands nervously. "I just want to make a good impression."

Draco sighed, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "You do know they've already met you, right?"

"Yes, but that was under different circumstances," she replied, relaxing into him. "Now I'm meeting them as your girlfriend, the one they just found sleeping with you and your son."

They both paused as her words sunk in. "Well, when you put it like that, it just sounds wrong," Draco said, cringing.

Hermione laughed nervously. "You know what I meant."

"Granger, stop worrying. You'll be fine," he consoled. "After spending a few minutes with you, they'll love you as much as we do."

Hearing his words, she froze, turning around to look at him. He looked back at her nervously, realizing what he had just said. As she opened her mouth to say something, Alex came running into the room, breaking the two apart immediately.

"Let's go," he cried excitedly, grabbing Hermione's hand and dragging her to the fireplace. They Flooed to the Mansion together, leaving Draco alone in his flat, confused by his shocking admission. Shaking his head and collecting himself, he grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw himself headfirst into the catastrophe he knew would await him.

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As Draco entered the Manor, there was nobody there to receive him for the first time in his life. Confused and apprehensive, he began to worry that his parents had done something to Hermione. Remembering that Alex had gone with her, and that his parents would never harm Alex, he relaxed slightly and headed towards the parlor.

"You live in a flat also?" he heard Narcissa ask. "Oh, I just don't understand you children. Choosing to live in hovels when you can easily afford to live in an actual house. I'm sure you make enough money as a Healer to live comfortably in a more suitable home."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione started.

"Please, call me Narcissa," she insisted, as Draco entered the room, glaring at his mother for her insensitive question.

"I really like my flat; it's very comfortable and not at all hovel-like," she continued, earning a smirk from Draco and Lucius.

"But surely you would want to live in a house with your family, when the time comes?" Narcissa persisted not so subtly.

Draco groaned inwardly at his mother's probing questions, glaring at her fiercely as though that would make her stop. It didn't.

"Um, I'm not sure. When the time comes, my family and I will make that decision together," Hermione replied smartly, determined to keep her cool.

"You must have thought about the future and what you plan to do, Hermione," Narcissa continued.

"Mother!" Draco interrupted, gritting his teeth at his mother's intrusiveness. "Can we end the interrogation?"

"I'm not interrogating her, Draco," Narcissa explained matter-of-factly. "I'm simply asking her a few questions. Am I not allowed to get to know the woman who is in yours and Alex's lives constantly?"

Draco gaped at her, unable to disagree or argue. Narcissa took his silence as agreement and continued.

"Hermione, am I insulting you or making you uncomfortable in any way?" she asked politely.

"No, you're not insulting me," Hermione answered honestly, avoiding the latter end of Narcissa's question.

"Why don't we continue this conversation at the dining table?" Lucius interjected diplomatically, rising out of his chair.

At that moment, Alex entered the room, coming from outside where he had been playing. "Is it time for food?" he asked excitedly. "I'm starving!"

Everyone laughed at his exclamation as the tension in the room ebbed slightly. As they all headed towards the dining room to have lunch, Draco hung back with Hermione, walking a few paces behind his parents.

"Look, my mother has all the tact and subtlety of an elephant walking on glass," Draco explained apologetically.

Hermione laughed at his description, feeling her nerves melt away. "Don't worry. If you think she's bad, wait until you have dinner with Molly Weasley and the Weasley clan," she warned, smiling at him evilly.

He blanched, remembering that dinner would be coming up soon, on Christmas Eve. "I'll make you a deal, Granger. If you spend the rest of lunch trying to recruit Lucius for your bloody Spew thing, I'll go to dinner with you without a complaint."

Laughing and swatting his arm playfully, Hermione shook her head. "No deal."

Draco frowned, knowing he would come to dinner anyway. _My god I'm whipped_, he thought dejectedly. But as he watched Hermione walk in front of him he thought maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

"By the way," Hermione added, turning around slightly. "It's S.P.E.W. Draco, not _Spew_."

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The lunch went by uneventfully, with Alex acting as a buffer between Lucius and Narcissa, and Draco and Hermione. Afterwards, however, when Alex went off to play again, Narcissa took the opportunity to take Hermione for a walk to talk about "girl things." Draco watched in horror as his mother walked away with Hermione, looking at his father who seemed just as appalled.

"Hermione, I wanted to apologize for being so tactless beforehand," Narcissa apologized as they wandered the halls of the Manor. "It's not in my nature to be so meddling. But you have to understand, these are my boys."

Hermione nodded, looking over at her. It was difficult to discern her age, for she carried herself with grace and sophistication and was as beautiful as ever. Her white-blond hair, which seemed to be a requirement to become a Malfoy, shimmered ethereally, giving her an eerie glow in the shadowy hallway.

"I made a mistake before, pushing Draco to be with Pansy. She was clearly not the girl for him, and I regretted the pain she brought for him. The only reason why he didn't leave her was because of that child. Alex is his life, and he is Alex's. I don't quite understand many of the decisions my son makes, living in a flat being one of them, but he has always made the best decisions for himself and his son, beginning with divorcing Miss Parkinson."

Thinking back on all of the times she had seen Draco and Alex interact, she smiled. Stoic though he was with everyone else, with Alex, it was evident that Draco loved his son more than anything in the world. "I agree, Mrs. Malfoy. But I don't understand why you're telling me this," she said after a while.

Narcissa smiled back at her warmly. "Things have changed since the war, Hermione. When the war ended in favor of the light side, things changed immensely, but mindsets remained the same. We wanted a pureblood for our son, a pureblood heir to the Malfoy fortune. We were so hell-bent on finding Draco a pureblood wife, we didn't realize that most of the pureblooded witches available were dim-witted tarts."

Hermione laughed despite herself, still confused as to where Narcissa's speech was going.

"It was too late when we realized that Pansy was not worthy of our son, as horrible as that may sound. Luckily, Alex seems to have inherited most of his father's traits, and few of his mother's. But Lucius and I are not going to let him make the same mistake twice. Although Lucius is not as open to admit it as I am, but blood is no longer as important as intelligence and class."

She paused for a while, looking at Hermione intensely. "I've heard a lot about you, Hermione. Stories about your school years and your aid in the war, from Draco and many others. Most importantly, Alex talks about you nonstop. You seem to be a very important figure in his life, father's girlfriend or not."

Hermione blushed slightly, looking down at her feet. Narcissa lifted her chin to look her straight in the eye. "Lord knows I cannot interfere with my son's love life anymore. But no matter what happens between you and Draco, you should always be a part of their life. Alex needs you. They both need you, Hermione. As a part of their family or as a friend, that is up to Draco and you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy—I mean, Narcissa," Hermione amended as Narcissa began to interrupt. "To be honest, I thought you were going to be a lot different. From what I've heard, I had much different expectations for this lunch."

"Hmm, I'm sure Draco paints a wonderful picture of me," she replied with a smile as they began walking back to meet the boys.

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Hermione and Narcissa entered the parlor again, laughing together, only to find Draco and Lucius sitting in tense silence. When the women entered the room, the men stared at them with mystified expressions, wondering what exactly went on during their walk.

"Well, I had a lot of fun," Narcissa began, her eyes glinting. "We should do this again sometime."

Hermione blushed, beginning to laugh while Narcissa joined in. Draco and Lucius shared a bewildered glance at the women's puzzling exchange.

"What's so funny?" Lucius asked as the laughter died down.

"Oh, nothing," Narcissa said, taking a seat next to him. "Why don't the two of you go off and spend the afternoon together. We can take care of Alex for a while. After all, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

Hermione blushed while Draco continued to gape at his mother, baffled by her behavior.

"Draco, that is very unattractive. Close your mouth," she ordered as Draco snapped his mouth shut. "Now go on, don't worry, Alex is in good hands."

Draco turned to look at Hermione, who shrugged and headed towards the fireplace. Following her, he turned around to give one last confused look at his mother before Flooing back to his flat.

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"What in the bloody hell was that?" he cried when they reached his living room.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked calmly, sitting down on the couch and looking up at him.

"You know what I mean. What did you and my mother talk about? And why are the two of you all 'best friends' now?"

"Don't be foolish, Malfoy. We're not best friends. We just had a very good talk together and we figured out a few things," she explained.

"What things?" he continued, still regarding her apprehensively.

"Girl things," she replied cryptically, pulling him down to sit next to her. She leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder.

"And what about that scene in the parlor? With your laughing fit?"

Hermione laughed at Draco's uncomfortable expression. "It wasn't a fit. I told her about our misunderstanding last night, and she was just making fun of us. Besides, would it be so bad if your mother and I got along?"

"My mother and you? Get along? Yes, that's bad. It's like the fucking apocalypse!" he cried.

"Would you relax? What do you think, we're going to sit around, drinking tea, telling embarrassing stories about you?"

"No," he responded defensively. "You didn't do that though, right?" he asked after a while.

Hermione smiled at him mischievously, laughing when he glared back at her. "Forget about it, Malfoy. Besides, now we've got all of this free time, and nothing to do," she added, feigning innocence.

Draco's glare quickly evolved into a lecherous smirk as he pushed her down on the couch, lying down on top of her. "That's right. As I remember, you owe me make-up sex combined with coming-home sex."

She smiled, tilting her head up to give him a kiss. He responded fervently, and their kiss quickly grew passionate. She wrapped her arms around his back, running her fingers down his back sensuously. Repositioning himself so that all of his weight was not pressing down on her, he slid his free hand down her side, resting it on her stomach under her shirt. The heat from his body and his hand spread throughout her, turning her on to no end.

Breaking the kiss, she gasped, "Not here. We can't have sex in your living room. Alex plays in here."

Draco looked at her in confusion, as though he had forgotten who Alex was. As realization dawned on his face, he jumped off of the couch, bringing Hermione up with him. He resumed kissing her, showering a trail of light kisses down her neck as he led her up the stairs. At the top, he backed her against the wall and lifted her up, inviting her to wrap her legs around his waist.

"Have I told you how much I love it when you wear skirts?" he mumbled against her lips, sliding his hand up her skirt to rest on her ass.

"I should wear them more often," she moaned as he moved down to the spot on the crook of her neck. She rolled her head back to give him more access while he continued to assault her senses. Feeling himself grow harder as she moaned again, Draco put Hermione down and led her to his room.

As soon as they entered his bedroom, he slammed the door shut and threw her onto the bed. Slipping off her skirt, he began to kiss his way up her leg slowly, driving her out of her mind. He reached her knickers, which were already wet with anticipation, but passed over them and up the length of her body. Reaching her lips again, he leaned down for another kiss.

Put off by his teasing torture, Hermione kept her mouth closed, not granting him entrance. He slid his hands up her shirt again, resting them just below her breasts. He began to stroke her through her bra, taking advantage of the opportunity when she moaned to slide his tongue in.

His languid strokes massaging her tongue, in unison with the strokes on her breasts overwhelmed her with desire. She flipped them over so that she was on top and straddled him. Trailing kisses down his jaw line to his neck, she ran her fingertips lightly over his chest. As she moved lower, she began to unbutton his shirt, kissing every inch of exposed skin. Reaching his belt, she undid it and slid it off, and began to take off his pants.

Curious to see how far she would go, Draco raised himself up on his elbows. She slid off his pants, leaving him in his boxers and an open shirt. Pulling off her own shirt, she leaned over to kiss his stomach again. Moving lower, she began to inch down his boxers slowly, getting closer to where he wanted her to go. As soon as she got there, however, she slid back up his body, giving him another kiss on the lips.

Biting her lower lip lightly in retaliation, he growled lowly. "Doesn't feel so good, does it?" she taunted evilly.

Tired of teasing and being teased, she unclasped her bra, throwing it across the room. Sliding out of her knickers, she rid Draco of the rest of his clothes and pushed him back on the bed. She positioned herself over his erection, sliding down slowly. He moaned loudly, savoring the feeling of her around him. She began to rise and fall rapidly, his hands guiding her motions as she developed a rapid pace. He watched as she threw her head back in pleasure, her curls bouncing all around her. As she reached her climax, she called out his name loudly, falling back to the bed next to him.

After allowing her to catch her breath, he was ready for his turn, rolling over so that he was on top of her again. He slid in quickly and while his pace increased, they both moaned in unison, the tension building inside of them. Hermione rose up to meet his every thrust, creating more friction between the two. Draco leaned down to massage her breast, and she immediately felt overwhelmed with pleasure, reaching an orgasm for the second time. He reached his peak as well only moments after, collapsing on top of her.

"Bloody hell," he whispered against her neck, loving how her breasts moved against him as she laughed. As they caught their breath, Hermione closed her eyes, drawing lazy circles on Draco's back.

After a few minutes, he raised his head, his forehead still slick with sweat. He leaned forward, giving her a sweet but passionate kiss on the lips. She opened her eyes, looking up at him admiringly. He kissed her again, easily gaining access and sliding his tongue in to massage hers. He rolled over so that she was on top and slid his hand lightly down her bare back, causing her to shiver. Running out of breath, she broke the kiss only to shower kisses down his chin to his neck. She kissed her way up to his ear, biting his earlobe lightly. He nearly lost his mind as she seductively moaned into his ear, feeling unsatisfied as she stopped and sat up on top of him. He looked up at her naked form lustfully, with her hair hanging possessively over her breasts and her legs straddling his stomach.

"You know, we really haven't talked about this formally," she began, breaking him out of his assessment of her. He groaned inwardly, knowing this conversation couldn't go anywhere he would like. "Are you coming with me to the Weasley's Christmas party?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked back, pointedly looking away from her.

"Yes, Draco. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I just wanted you to come with me because I wanted to spend Christmas with you and Alex."

"You can still do that. Just don't go to the party and come and spend Christmas at our house," he replied.

"I always go to this party," she explained, trying to get him to look at her. "It's tradition. Besides, Alex would have loads of fun with Marie and Sylar."

"Who are Marie and Sylar?"

"Marie is Fleur and Bill's daughter, who is about 5 years old as well. Sylar, Percy and Penelope's son, is only 2 years old, but I'm sure he could play with them as well."

"So why don't you just take Alex?" Draco suggested, still avoiding looking at her.

Hermione grabbed his face, turning it towards her. "Why don't you want to go?" she asked.

Staring at her, Draco sighed resignedly. "Can we not have this discussion when you're sitting on top of me naked? Honestly woman, you could probably convince me to sell my business and become a House-Elf if you did it topless."

Storing that information for later use, Hermione laughed and rolled off of him, covering herself with his bed sheets.

He sighed again, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Do you really want me to go?" he asked apprehensively.

Hermione nodded vigorously, hugging him tightly when she realized she had worn him down.

"So what do I get out of it?" he inquired, arching his eyebrow at her suggestively.

"You get the satisfaction of knowing you did something nice for someone else," she answered, eliciting a laugh out of Draco. "And you get to have a lot of fun and good food at the Burrow," she added.

"What else have you got?" he asked, not satisfied yet.

Hermione thought for a moment, looking down at his still exposed form. Grinning mischievously, she let go of the sheets covering her and climbed on top of him again. She kissed him lightly on the lips, moving down his body until she reached his growing erection. Draco watched in amazement as she began to stroke him lightly, pumping and grazing her fingernails along the length of him. His mouth went dry and he moaned loudly as she leaned down, enveloping him in her mouth.

As she gave him the best blow job he'd ever had, he could only think, _I'd have to be fucking crazy to ever let her go. In fact, I'll castrate myself if I fuck this up_. His musings ended as she began to hum, all rational thought leaving his mind completely.

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**Well, that was really hard. I suck at these scenes, but I wanted a HD hot scene after their fight, you know, making up and all. I can't promise faster updates, but I will def try once a week. Please don't lose interest; I'm nearing the end of the story. R&R please!**


	14. Chapter 14: A Christmas Miracle

**I am so so so sorry it took me so long to update. I hate me too. I've been overwhelmed with college apps and school, and whenever I'm stressed, I get writer's block. Hopefully absence has made your hearts grow fonder, and this chapter will make it up. Thanks for all of the support so far, and once again, sorry guys.**

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**Chapter 14: A Christmas Miracle**

Draco ran his hands nervously through his hair for the countless time, staring at his reflection in the mirror. _What is wrong with me? Malfoys don't get nervous_, he berated himself silently.

The truth was, he was very nervous. The Weasleys were Hermione's family and if he wanted his relationship with her to go anywhere, their approval was necessary. In short, this Christmas dinner would have to go perfectly. Draco's relationship with the Weasleys had improved vastly during the war, but he still felt uncomfortable around the entire lot of them. Something about the sheer number of them and his uncontrollable tendency to be offensive unnerved him.

Draco sighed deeply, fixing his hair one last time before leaving his room to check on Alex. He found his son sitting in his room, dressed and ready, reading T'was the Night Before Christmas. Smiling, he knocked lightly on the door.

"Are you ready to go pick up Hermione?" he asked.

Looking up from his book, Alex broke into a smile. "Of course, Dad. Hermione's been talking about everyone for so long, I can't wait to see them all. Will Gran and Grandfather at dinner?"

"Of course not," Draco replied quickly, inwardly smirking at the image of his parents walking into the Burrow. "They went to Paris, like they always do for the holidays."

Draco wrapped Alex tightly in his winter cloak, pulling on his cap and muffler to keep him as warm as possible.

"Dad, I can barely move," Alex complained, his voice muffled under the layers of cloth.

Laughing as Alex waddled over to the fireplace, Draco slipped on his own cloak. "You'll thank me when you don't wake up with a cold tomorrow," he explained as the two made their way to Hermione's flat.

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"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Hermione called as Draco called out to her for the fourth time.

"Bloody hell, woman! We've been waiting for over fifteen minutes. What could you possibly be doing?" he complained childishly.

Alex giggled at his father's impatience, perfectly content now that he had taken off his hat and muffler and was watching _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ on Hermione's TV.

"I'm ready now," she said as she entered the room.

"About bloody time," Draco started, turning to look at her. He stopped short in his diatribe, amazed by how beautiful she looked in her red silk top. Her hair seemed longer than usual, framing her face angelically.

"Was it worth the wait?" she asked quietly as she approached him. Smirking slightly, he leaned down to give her a kiss in response. She smiled as she pulled away, putting on her winter cloak as well.

"So, are you ready for tonight?" she teased as she helped Alex bundle up again.

"Is there any hope for backing out now?" he asked hopefully, frowning as she laughed and shook her head. "Then I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"It'll be fun, Dad," Alex cried cheerfully, earning a glare from his father.

"It won't be so bad," Hermione coaxed, pulling him towards the fire. "You might even enjoy yourself."

At this, Draco gave her a skeptical look, cocking his eyebrow. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and handed it to Alex. Grabbing another handful for herself after Alex had gone, she stepped into the fireplace.

"Oh, Draco," she began just before she left. "Do watch your language. There'll be children there."

Calculating how mad she would be if he didn't show up now, Draco decided against it, instead grabbing some Floo powder and stepping into the fireplace. "The Burrow," he called out, resigned to his fate.

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"Draco dear! It's so lovely to see you after so long!" Molly Weasley cooed, running up to hug him and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, your son is just adorable. And so charming!"

Draco was not one for affection, but he had always had a soft spot for Mrs. Weasley, who had been like everyone's mother during the war. Secretly, he enjoyed the motherly attention she lavished on him. In fact, her love made him feel welcome, an actual part of the group. Of course he would never admit this though. Instead, he glared at the twins who laughed loudly as Molly pinched his cheeks.

"Happy Christmas, mate!" Ron greeted, slapping him playfully, but rather painfully, on the back. "Sorry 'bout the whole 'cheating on Hermione' thing. It was just a misunderstanding. No hard feelings, eh?"

Draco's first instinct was to glare at him angrily, but somehow, the cheer in the Burrow was infectious, and he settled for giving Ron a "friendly" pat on the back in return.

He was led into the living room, where he saw Alex playing with a pretty little red-haired girl who he could only assume was one of the many Weasley offspring. _Mary or something or another_, he thought, trying to remember what Hermione had called her. All he could remember was the image of her sitting on top of him naked, with no recollection of the rest of their conversation that night.

"Happy Christmas, Malfoy," Ginny greeted as she came up to him with Harry. "We're all so glad you decided to come."

"Happy Christmas," he responded. "It's not like I had anything better to do."

"Where's Alex?" she asked excitedly. "I've heard so much about him from everyone, I'm dying to meet him."

Harry chuckled quietly as Ginny left his side to meet Alex. "So you came," he said to Draco once they were alone, handing him a glass of eggnog.

"I am no hologram, Potter," he replied, looking back at Harry. He took a sip of his drink, taken aback by how strong it was.

Laughing at his reaction, Harry shook his head. "Fred and George's concoction. No surprise there. Last year, Percy got so smashed he started kissing everyone he saw. It wouldn't have been as disturbing if he wasn't wearing a Santa Claus suit."

"Nothing says Christmas quite like a drunken, horny Santa, does it?" Draco quipped with a smirk.

"Indeed," Fred agreed, joining the conversation. "I see young Harry has filled you in on the effects of the Weasley's Smashing Eggnog, guaranteed to give you a very merry Christmas."

"Did you tell him about the year when Ron got so sloshed that he thought he actually was Santa Claus?" George asked, slinging his arm around Draco's shoulders. "He then proceeded to climb up the chimney in his boxers, worried he wouldn't have enough time to visit all of the Chinese children's homes. We didn't have the heart to tell him there was no sled waiting up on the roof for him."

At this point, Draco was nearly in tears, as were Harry and Fred.

"He ended up spending the night up on the roof," Fred continued, choking with laughter. "The funniest moment was when he woke up and slipped off the roof. We all came outside and found him hanging off the side of the roof, his foot caught in the lights. Mum was apoplectic, yelling at him for trying to interfere with Santa's work, and in his underwear at that. It was priceless."

"What are you lot laughing about?" Ron asked, coming up to the four of them.

"Nothing," Draco answered, finally gaining his composure.

"Eggnog?" George offered, at which Harry, Draco, and Fred burst out laughing again. Ron looked from the cup his brother offered to the three who were falling over with laughter, realization dawning on his face.

"You told him about the Santa Clause episode?" he yelled, chasing George around the room. "Mum told you that you weren't allowed to tell anyone about it anymore!"

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"So, you and Draco?" Penelope Clearwater asked Hermione as the women prepared dinner in the kitchen.

Hermione smiled at her in response, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions from the Weasley women.

"Wow," Angelina Johnson said, whistling lowly. "If anyone had told us at Hogwarts that you and Malfoy would be together in a few years, he would've been hexed into yesteryear."

"I think they're really cute together," Ginny interjected defensively.

"Nobody iz dizputing zat, Ginevra," Fleur Delacour said patronizingly, turning to Hermione before she saw Ginny's glare. "Zey are both very attractive people, and wit zat boy, Alex, zey make a beautiful family."

"Oh, I don't know about that," Hermione started nervously, not liking how heavy the conversation was becoming. "We're certainly not a family yet."

"Yet," Molly repeated, her eyes twinkling.

"But you do love him, don't you?" Parvati asked as all of the women turned to look at her intensely.

Hermione scoffed, looking at Ginny for help. She got nothing. "Well, I don't know. We've only been going out for a little over a month. I mean, I might, I don't know. I haven't even talked to him about it."

"Well clearly he loves you," Ginny said matter-of-factly, continuing to set the table.

"How d'you figure that?" Hermione asked hopefully, joining her.

Ginny looked at her like she was insane. "Are you kidding? He introduced you to his kid right away, who, by the way, is the cutest little thing in the world. He let you get close to him. And he came to this dinner for you, which is huge."

"That's true," Angelina added. "He's gotta really like you at least, if not love."

Hermione finished filling the pitcher of water as Molly called the boys in for dinner, thinking about what her friends had said. Her thoughts were interrupted as Draco came up behind her, kissing her neck and taking the heavy pitcher out of her hands.

"Someone's in a good mood," she stated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

He smirked back at her. "It's the eggnog," he replied, leading her to the table.

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"Boys, stop playing with your food," Molly scolded.

"Sorry mum," the twins apologized in unison, grinning evilly as they dropped one of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes into Percy's goblet of wine.

Dinner was going well, despite Fred and George's antics, and Draco was actually enjoying himself. He had forgotten how good Molly's food was, and was especially glad he had a truce with the twins, so he could enjoy his dinner in peace. He looked over at Alex, who was sitting between Hermione and Marie, whose name he finally learned. He was chatting away with Ron and Arthur Weasley, who seemed to enjoy his conversation immensely.

_He certainly fits in_, Draco thought to himself with a small smile. He looked at Hermione, who was sitting next to him and laughing at something Bill Weasley just said. As she laughed, her entire face lit up, and her curls bounced lightly about her shoulders. She turned to him, still smiling and raised her eyebrow inquisitively. He smiled back slightly, shaking his head and turning back to his food.

As dessert came out, Ginny stood up and tapped her glass, signaling for the table's attention.

"OK you lot, quiet down for a second, then you can go back to Mum's delicious dessert," she started amidst loud cheers for the food. "I just need a second."

"Harry and I have an announcement to make," she continued, looking down at her husband, who smiled up at her and squeezed her hand lovingly.

"You're pregnant!" Ron yelled jokingly, at which the male population at the table began to laugh.

Ginny stood shocked for a moment before pegging a dinner roll at her older brother. "You stupid prat! You ruined the moment entirely!" she yelled, throwing another roll his way.

"Wait, you _are_ pregnant?" Hermione asked, interrupting Ginny's food fight.

Beaming brightly, Ginny nodded. At once, all of the women squealed, jumping over to give Ginny hugs.

"My baby's having a baby!" Molly cried, holding Ginny so tightly it looked as though she might burst.

"Mum, she can't have a baby if you squeeze her to death," Fred interjected teasingly, pulling his mother away to give his little sister a hug as well.

After everyone had taken turns to give Ginny a hug and sat back in their seats again, Fleur stood up and tapped her glass.

"Bill and I have an announcement to make az well," she started, looking around the table excitedly.

"Don't tell us you're pregnant as well," Ron muttered, rubbing his head where Ginny, Molly, and Harry had hit him.

"Ron!" everyone yelled, as his eyes grew wide with realization.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think she was actually pregnant!" he cried as numerous dinner rolls came flying his way.

As Fleur dejectedly accepted hugs from everyone, Fred stood up solemnly, tapping his glass.

"Well, seeing as how this is the moment for grand announcements, I have something to tell you lot too," he began, looking around the table seriously.

"I'm pregnant," he announced, wiping away fake tears. He ducked down into his seat as the entire table began to yell and throw food at him as well.

"All right, all right," Arthur said, calming everyone down. "Molly, I think it's about time for dessert," he added with a smile as everyone began to cheer again.

Their cheers were interrupted as Percy's tongue began to grow rapidly, changing into colorful patterns as well. As the table erupted in laughter and the twins began to take bows, Molly quickly fixed her son's tongue before chasing Fred and George around the room, threatening them with no dessert.

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After dinner, everyone piled into the living room again, huddled close to the fireplace. Draco stood in the corner, talking to Arthur, Bill, and Charlie about the state of the Ministry.

"So Hermione seems to have taken a liking to your son, eh Draco?" Bill teased, changing the subject and pointing over at Hermione.

Alex was sitting in Hermione's lap, slowly drifting in and out of sleep while she ran her fingers through his hair lightly. He chuckled lowly as the puffball from her Santa's hat fell into her face and she flicked it away.

"D'you love her?" Harry asked bluntly, joining the conversation with Ron not far behind.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, Potter," Draco replied defensively, not liking the turn of the conversation.

"Hermione's a part of the family, mate. We just want to make sure she's happy," Ron explained amidst nods from the rest of the Weasleys.

"She looks like she is," Bill added, patting Draco on the back. "More than we've ever seen her."

Draco looked back at Hermione, who was laughing with Molly, quietly so as not to disturb Alex, who had finally fallen asleep. Excusing himself from the conversation, Draco went into the kitchen. He noticed a door leading into the garden and walked towards it. Just as he stepped outside, he heard the twins yell, "Caroling!" thinking he had gotten out just in time.

He looked out at the snow-covered ground, with the moon shining brightly and the Christmas lights creating colorful patterns. Without his winter cloak, he felt cold, but refused to go inside until the carols were over. He sat down on the third step, staring out into the night and thinking about what the Weasleys had said to him.

_Can you fall in love with someone after only a few months?_ he thought to himself. Images of Hermione raced through his mind, from the first time he saw her with Alex, the day Pansy lost him, to how beautiful she looked sitting with Alex, the firelight bouncing off of her curls.

He ran his hands through his hair, sighing deeply. _Damn, all of this Christmas cheer has made me fruity_, he thought. _I'm a Malfoy. I don't sing carols or declare my love on Christmas Eve._

His musings ended as a flood of light signaled that someone opened the door. He could tell it was her without turning around as the smell of vanilla and strawberries filled the air. _And I definitely don't notice things like that_, he reprimanded himself.

"Smart, hiding out here for the carols," she laughed, sitting down on the step behind him. "I'll have to remember that for next year."

Draco closed his eyes, leaning back against her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Sighing deeply, he immediately felt a wave of warmth spread over him.

"Alex is asleep in Ginny's old bedroom," she explained, resting her head on top of his.

Draco wrapped his arms around her legs and fiddled with the bottoms of her jeans. Still not opening his eyes, he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent of vanilla and strawberries again.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked, rubbing his shoulders to create heat.

"I love you," he declared.

Hermione froze. Leaning his head back, Draco finally opened his eyes. She was looking down at him, her Santa's hat crooked atop her head, and her eyes wide. He smiled, knowing that the image of her upside down in a Santa's hat would define this moment for him.

"How much eggnog have you had?" she asked when she regained her ability to speak.

Laughing, Draco sat up, turning to face her. "Not too much. Besides, I've more tolerance than ickle Ronniekins," he teased, kneeling between her legs.

Hermione laughed nervously, regarding him suspiciously. "So you're serious?" she asked skeptically.

"I'm serious, Hermione," Draco repeated, taking her hands in his.

Her face broke into a smile as she pulled him into a searing kiss, one that made Draco feel as though he would never be cold again.

He broke away, looking at her expectantly. Hermione cocked her head to the side, looking a bit dazed and confused.

"I love you too," she laughed, realizing she hadn't said it back. She ran her hands through his hair, wrapping them around his neck and pulling him into another kiss.

Draco slid his hand from her neck down her back, drawing her closer to him. She sighed into their kiss, pulling away in need of a breath.

"Just know that this is a one-time thing, Granger," he muttered as he kissed his way down her neck.

"Once is all I need," she sighed, leaning back on the steps. Draco looked up at her to find her eyes closed. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen and red. In the moonlight, she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her. _Fuck it. I've become one of them,_he thought.

As Hermione opened her eyes and pulled him down for another kiss, he decided that he just didn't care.

"Happy Christmas, Granger," he whispered just before their lips touched.

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**I really hope that you guys like this chapter. It's kind of fluffy, but that's what it feels like to be in love. I wish I could have a Christmas like this.**

**Please read and review. And thanks for sticking with me, even though I royally suck and you would be totally justified in hating me for not updating for so long. I love you guys!**


	15. Chapter 15: A Walk in the Park

**I suck at life. I know this. I'm sorry for not updating in over six months; please don't hate me! I don't even have a good excuse, just schoolwork, college apps, and my writer's block. I didn't know where I wanted to take the story, and I didn't like any of the CH15s I'd written. **

**But I've gotten over my block, and I promise to finish this story soon. I know that one chapter won't make up for my loserness but I hope you all will still like it. Thanks for sticking with me.**

**--**

**Chapter 15: A Walk in the Park**

"Granger. Hermione. I've loved you for so long. I never thought I would feel like this about anyone, or want to be with someone as much as I want to be with you."

Hermione looked at Draco, tears filling her eyes as he kneeled down and presented her with a tiny jewelry box.

"Hermione Granger, I never want to spend another day without you," Draco began. He opened the box and Hermione gasped at the beautiful diamond ring that lay inside.

"Will you mar—"

_Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beep!_

Hermione cursed loudly as she slammed the off-button on the alarm, disappointed that her dream had ended.

_I wouldn't want him to propose to me like that anyhow,_ she thought angrily. _Too corny and clichéd._

Looking over at the clock, she groaned loudly when she saw that it was only 6:45. _You had to forget to turn off the alarm_, she berated herself, pulling the covers over her head.

"Someone's in a good mood," Draco teased drowsily, rolling over and draping his arm around her waist. Though she couldn't see his face, she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"It's not funny, Malfoy," she complained, pushing down the covers to glare at him. "You can always fall back to sleep. Once I wake up, I can't go to sleep again."

"Then why didn't you turn off the alarm?" he countered, still not opening his eyes.

"It's your house, your alarm. Why don't you turn it off? And why do you wake up at 6:45 anyway? You never go to your office before 10," she huffed as she crossed her arms and turned away from him.

Draco smirked as he tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer. "Like you said, I can always go back to sleep. But since we're both up so early, I can think of something we can do to kill time," he suggested, kissing her neck lightly.

Hermione smiled despite herself, shivering as he traced circles on her stomach and nibbled her ear. "You really do have a one-track mind, Draco. But we shouldn't. What if Alex wakes up?" she asked, sliding out of his grip and getting out of bed. "Go back to sleep, I'll make some breakfast if Butler hasn't already."

Draco grunted in response, already nodding off. Hermione laughed quietly, jealous of his ability to fall back to sleep immediately.

She walked down the hallway pulling her robe tighter to block out the chill of Draco's flat. Stopping at Alex's door, she peeked in to check up on him. He lay sprawled out on his covers with one pillow on the floor, snoring lightly. Smiling, Hermione closed the door and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

It had been a few months since Christmas, and the concept of "taking it slowly" seemed to have flown out of the window. Hermione basically moved in with Draco and Alex, as she spent more time at their flat than at her own. She was even going to look after Alex when Draco and Blaise spent the next few days in Dublin to hammer out the details of their merger.

Although their relationship was going strong, surprisingly enough, neither Hermione nor Draco wanted to publicize it. The last thing either of them needed was the public and papers to terrorize and stalk them. Unfortunately, they found out anyway.

"Unexpected Romance: How the Slytherin King Stole the Heart of the Gem of the Golden Trio," Hermione read aloud. She glanced at the cover of _The Daily Prophet_, raising her eyebrow at the ridiculous front-page article. "Merlin, they've run out of real stories so now they're running this garbage?"

Just below the headline was a picture of Draco and her shopping in Diagon Alley. She was holding Draco's hand, and he had one arm slung around her shoulders, carrying shopping bags in the other. _We do look like a happy family though_, she thought with a smile, _if you add Alex in there_.

Her happiness was short-lived as she noticed a mountain of fan mail sitting on Draco's balcony, dozens of owls waiting for their payment.

"Bloody hell," she muttered darkly, wishing she could go back to sleep now.

She trudged over to the kitchen where Butler had already made coffee and eggs.

"Your breakfast, miss," he said, handing her a plate of toast and eggs with a hot cup of coffee.

"I should have known you already made breakfast," she replied with a smile.

"'Tis my job, miss," he said with a bow and with a _crack_, he disappeared.

_I will never understand house-elves_, Hermione thought, confused by the elf's standoffish behavior.

She began to eat and read the paper, ignoring the front page, when Draco walked in yawning widely.

"Anything newsworthy today?" he asked while pouring himself some coffee.

Hermione laughed dryly before handing him _The Prophet_. She watched as he skimmed the front page, raising his eyebrow slightly before tossing the paper off to the side and filling his plate with eggs and toast.

"That's it?" she asked incredulously. "That's your reaction. You're rather nonchalant about something that we've been dreading for weeks."

Draco shrugged and began to eat. "They had to find out at some point," he rationalized. "It's not as though we're hiding anything."

"No, I guess not," she sighed as she began to clear her plates.

"As long as they don't find any pictures of Alex, it's fine," he added seriously. "I pay a lot of money to keep him out of the public eye and I don't want him to be exposed to that sort of thing at his age."

"You mean the Wizarding community has no idea that you have a son?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"I'm sure they have an idea, but they don't know anything for sure," he replied. "At least the general public."

"That seems a little irrational," she responded. "I mean you can't hide a whole person from the world."

"It's not irrational, Granger, and it's my decision," he stated definitively. "I don't want him exposed to the public and the media at such a young age. He doesn't understand these things and I don't want him to be influenced by what the Wizarding community may expect from him because of who he is and who his family is."

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh on the media?" Hermione countered with a laugh. "I mean, at the most they'll indulge in some harmless gossip and tabloid fodder before moving on to a more scandalous topic the next day."

Draco stared at Hermione seriously. "Harmless gossip? Honestly Granger, you can be so naïve sometimes."

"What the hell does that mean, Malfoy?" she replied, starting to get angry at his condescending tone of voice.

"You think if _The Prophet_ got their hands on a picture of Alexander Malfoy that they would laugh it off in a few articles and 'tabloid fodder' as you put it?" he started, standing up and cornering Hermione against the counter. "He's the son of an ex-Death Eater, the grandson of two former Death Eaters as well, and the sole heir to the Malfoy name, which may no longer carry the same level of fear and darkness as it used to, but by no means evokes feelings of warmth and fuzziness either. Times may have changed drastically Granger, but most of the Wizarding community still looks upon the Malfoy name with weariness and disdain. Do you really think I want to expose my five-year old son to the kind of looks I receive from people because they know my name? Maybe I am being overdramatic about the situation, but it's my decision and I expect you to respect it."

Hermione gulped nervously, not having seen this side of Draco in a while. "Yeah, of course," she nodded, smiling comfortingly. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize how much this means to you."

"It means a lot," he reiterated, relaxing slightly. He sighed deeply, bringing his arms around her waist and pulling her close. "I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from."

Standing on her tiptoes, she gave him a small peck on the nose as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course, Draco."

"Oh, don't you two ever stop?" Blaise complained as he walked into the kitchen just as Draco leaned in to kiss Hermione.

"You're frighteningly early," Draco commented, glancing at his watch. "Is something wrong?"

"Paranoid much?" Blaise teased, grabbing a plate of eggs. "I just figured we could head over to the Dublin office earlier to take a few last looks at the deal before we began negotiations. You know, get the upper hand."

"Hmm, I'm already packed, I just need to get ready," Draco responded before heading up the stairs.

"So, spending the week with the kid, that's a huge step," Blaise said, giving Hermione a knowing smile.

"I know," she replied, smiling widely. "I'm really excited that Draco trusts me, but I'm also kind of nervous. I've never babysat for more than one night, and what if Alex misses his dad?"

"You'll be fine, the kid loves you almost as much as his dad does," he answered reassuringly. "Although in a completely different way, of course."

Hermione laughed at this, smacking Blaise on the shoulder playfully.

"All right, I'm ready and I just said bye to Alex," Draco announced as he walked back into the kitchen. "You'll be alright with him for the week won't you?" he asked Hermione.

"We'll be fine," she responded, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "Now go on and merge well. Don't worry about us."

"And don't worry about us either," Draco whispered with a smirk. "The president of the Dublin office is a 63-year old Irish bloke so there won't be any more misunderstandings, right love?"

"Just shut up and go," Hermione retorted, but she couldn't help smiling as Draco gave her a goodbye kiss and headed towards the fireplace.

--

"Are you excited to go to the park with Hermione?" Narcissa asked as she helped her grandson tie his shoes.

"Yes!" he cried emphatically. "Daddy doesn't like the park, he says there are too many people there."

"Your father is a strange man dear," she replied, rolling her eyes at her son's paranoia.

Hermione walked into the living room of Draco's flat carrying a small tote. "All right, I've got some water, juice, and some lunch for a nice little picnic," she began excitedly. "Are we all set Alex?"

"Let's go!" he exclaimed, grabbing Hermione and Narcissa's hands and pulling them towards the doorway.

Laughing at the young boys enthusiasm, Narcissa and Hermione followed Alex towards the park a few blocks away.

"So what is this about Draco not liking the park?" Narcissa asked Hermione curiously.

Hermione looked over at her oddly. "What do you mean?"

"Alex said that Draco doesn't like the park because it has too many people," Narcissa explained. "Is he always this anti-social?"

As realization dawned on Hermione, she stopped abruptly, grabbing Alex before he could cross the street.

"Maybe we shouldn't go to the park today," Hermione whispered to Narcissa.

Startled by her sudden change of attitude, Narcissa regarded Hermione peculiarly. "What is going on Hermione?" she whispered in response.

Glancing down at Alex's confused expression, Hermione quickly retold Draco's fears to his mother.

Narcissa laughed loudly, taking Alex's hand and crossing the street to the park. "My son worries too much," she replied as she waved at Hermione to join her as well. "I'm sure if Alex spends a few hours at the local park, everything will still be fine."

Hermione shook her head at her own absurdity. _Of course it will_, she thought to herself. _What is going to happen at the park?_

--

"Hey man, have you seen the papers lately?" Blaise asked Draco apprehensively, approaching him with caution.

"What, the _Dublin Times_?" Draco scoffed, laughing derisively. "Their 'news' is worse than the shit that _The Prophet _tries to pass off as journalism."

"Yeah, I would take a look at _The Prophet _if I were you," Blaise warned.

Frowning, Draco rose off of the couch in the hotel room and sauntered over to his friend. Picking up the paper, he blanched as he looked at the front page.

"What the fuck?"

--

"So what do you have in store for you at school today?" Hermione asked Alex as she handed him a plate of pancakes for breakfast.

"We just finished reading a book called Where the Wild Things Are, so today we're going to start a new book: Harold and the Purple Crayon," he replied with a mouth full of food.

"Okay," she interrupted laughingly. "Why don't you finish your breakfast and you can tell me as we get ready, all right?"

Alex nodded vigorously just as someone entered the flat through the Floo Network.

"Who could that possibly be?" Hermione wondered out loud as she headed towards the living room.

"Draco!" she exclaimed upon seeing him. "You're home early!"

"Daddy!" Alex shouted as he bounded into the living room to greet his father.

Draco stood in his living room, fuming at the woman in front of him. Stopping Alex before he could give him a hug, he began, "Not now, Alex. I need to talk to Hermione in private."

"But Dad," he began.

"No buts, Alex," Draco interrupted, narrowing his eyes dangerously at Hermione.

"Dad – "

"Alex!" Draco yelled, turning his furious glare towards his son. "Go to your room now!"

Alex shook with fear, tears forming in his eyes before he ran upstairs and promptly burst out crying.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione fumed, heading upstairs to comfort the boy.

"Don't move, Granger," Draco seethed, throwing down the copy of _The Prophet_ he held in his fist. "I thought you understood what I said, but apparently that means nothing to the infallible Gryffindor princess."

"What are you talking about?" she asked exasperatedly, turning around to look at the paper. She picked it up, scanning the headlines and her eyes widened at the front-page news.

_Gryffindor Princess Takes a Walk in the Park With Future Mother-In-Law and New Edition to the Malfoy Line _was the headline above a photograph of Hermione and Narcissa watching Alex play in the park. Looking further she read: _Could this be the elusive son of Draco Malfoy? Rumors to that effect have been circulating for months, but now there is photographic evidence of the Malfoy Prince. The question now is: Who is the mother? Draco Malfoy's estranged ex-wife Pansy Parkinson or his new love interest Hermione Granger? Perhaps the boy is the reason the Slytherin King left his wife for the most unexpected second wife._

Hermione stopped reading there, her hands shaking with fury. "I can't believe this," she seethed.

"You can't believe it?" Draco yelled, eyes blazing. "I told you this would happen if the media ever got a hold of Alex. I told you this very thing and yet you deliberately went against my wishes and stuck him on the front page of the fucking _Prophet_!"

"You're not seriously blaming this on me?" Hermione cried defensively. "I took him to the bloody park for a picnic. It's not like I ran into the Ministry of Magic holding him and screaming, 'Look at me! I've got Alexander Malfoy, the son of Draco Malfoy, feel free to take pictures of us!' How was I supposed to know that there would be paparazzi at the park waiting to take pictures of your son?"

"How were you supposed to know?" he repeated furiously. "I fucking told you that would happen Granger! Why do you think I never take him to the park?"

"I'm sorry, Draco!" she apologized frantically. "I just wanted to make him feel better. He was missing you, so I wanted to take him to the park to play some Quidditch. I never thought that this would happen. But maybe it's better this way. Like you said, it's not as though you're hiding anything."

Draco clenched and unclenched his jaw menacingly. "Damn it, Granger, I said that about us. When it comes to Alex, I am hiding something. I thought you understood that he shouldn't be exposed to this sort of thing at his age."

"What sort of thing? It's not like he reads the paper. He'll see himself on the front page and just think he's a little special. Nothing new," she rationalized.

"That's all you think this is?" he fumed. "It is something new, because he has no idea why he's so special. And I didn't want him to know why until I felt he was ready to take it."

"He's smarter than you give him credit for, Draco," Hermione replied cautiously. "He already knows he's somewhat special. He's seen his father and grandfather's name in the papers and some books. Maybe he's ready for some sort of explanation. Not the full story, mind you, but you should talk to him about it. Because he's starting to ask me questions now that he knows you won't answer him and I don't know what to tell him."

"Yeah, well what do you know? You're not his mother," Draco barked.

Hermione stepped back, reeling as though he had just backhanded her. She scoffed, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape. "No, you're right. I'm not," she whispered as she ran out of his flat.

"Granger! Hermione!" Draco yelled after her, regretting his words immediately. He groaned loudly, picking up the paper and chucking it violently across the room. "Great job Draco," he said to himself bitterly. "Now you've royally pissed off the only two people who mean anything to you."

"Yes, dear. You do seem to have a talent for that," Narcissa retorted as she stepped out of the fireplace, Lucius not far behind her.

Draco groaned loudly, not even bothering to hide his disappointment to see his parents as he plopped onto his couch.

"Good morning to you too son," Lucius greeted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I see you've read the paper."

"Don't even get me started," he growled, closing his eyes and running his hands roughly through his hair.

"Stop acting like such a drama queen, Draco," Narcissa reprimanded haughtily. "It's not as bad as you're making it out to be."

"Not that bad?" he cried disbelievingly. "These bloody bastards are putting my son's maternity into question."

"This never would have happened if you had taken our advice and made a public appearance with the boy," his mother continued, sniffing at him disapprovingly.

"My son is not some kind of publicity stunt I'm going to use to get my face on the front of every paper," Draco seethed, glaring at his mother.

"No one is calling the boy a publicity stunt," Lucius interjected. "It just would have been much more prudent if you had introduced the boy into society properly when you moved back home. It's not as though you have anything to hide, he's the legitimate heir to the Malfoy name."

"That's exactly why I don't want him to be in the public eye," Draco countered. "I don't want him to be associated with the pressures of the Malfoy name before he's ready for it."

"He was born ready for it," Narcissa replied hotly. "He was born a Malfoy, ergo he is ready for it. Don't tell me you're ashamed of your family name."

"No, not ashamed, but you have to admit that life would sometimes be easier if I wasn't constantly judged because I'm a Malfoy."

"Is that what this is about, Draco?" Lucius asked, disappointed. "You want your life to be easier? Because that is not the man I thought you were."

"Who are you to judge me? You're the reason why my life as a Malfoy is so difficult. You and your muggle-hating, Voldemort-loving, Death Eater ways. Like you ever gave me the chance to have a normal childhood, or cared for me even remotely the way I care about Alex."

"Draco!" Narcissa yelled. "No matter how upset you are, that man is still your father, and you cannot speak to him like that!"

"And why not?" Draco cried petulantly. "He's the reason why – "

"Enough!" she cried. "Your father has made some bad decisions in his life, as did you, and we are all paying for those mistakes now. But those mistakes have made you the man you are today, the man that Alex looks up to and, for some reason, a woman like Hermione loves. This may not have been the ideal way for the public to find out about your son, but what's done is done. It's no more Hermione's fault than it is mine, since I was the one who pushed us to go to the park in the first place. But you are completely out of line in implying that the girl does not love your son like a mother would. I've never seen Alex's biological mother pay him even a fraction of the attention she lavishes on him daily. She loves that boy, and she loves you, perhaps because she is smart enough to look past the irritating and stubborn git you can be and see the caring and loving man you are underneath. I don't know how and I don't care, but you will apologize to her and fix this mess that you have created because you will never find a better woman for yourself, or a better mother for your son. Do I make myself clear?"

Draco nodded silently, his mother's words running through his head like a marathon. He barely noticed when his parents left his flat, the guilt coursing through him until he felt as small as a house-elf. He snapped out of his reverie as he looked up the stairs to where Alex's room was.

_Idiot_, he thought to himself as he trekked up the stairs to apologize to his son.

--

**I finally wrote the next chapter, and I actually liked it, surprisingly enough. Don't worry though, Draco hasn't fucked up entirely. Please review, and I promise I will update again this week. The story is almost finished so hang in there. Thanks for all of your support!!**


	16. Chapter 16: Happily Ever After

**Thanks for hanging in there with me. This will be the last chapter, but there may be an epilogue. I love the way this story has gone and I appreciate all of the support from you, the readers, despite my sporadic updates. I love you guys and I hope you will love the end of my story.**

**-- **

**Chapter 16: Happily Ever After…Well, Sort Of**

Draco trudged up the stairs towards his son's room, wondering how he could fix the mess he had made with Alex and Hermione. Upon reaching Alex's room, he knocked softly, tentatively opening the door. Alex was sitting curled up in his chair facing the window. His face, both tear-stained and fear-stricken, broke Draco's heart, especially because he was the cause of his son's current condition.

"Can I come in?" he asked softly. Alex shrugged his shoulder without turning around, which Draco took as an invitation.

He walked in and sat at the edge of Alex's bed, picking up the book that lay next to him. Muggles and Magic: How Non-Magical Folk Coexist with Magical. _Must be from Granger_, he thought, his heart constricting as he thought of her. He looked back at his son, who was rubbing his eyes furiously, and was hit by another wave of guilt.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you, mate," he started apologetically. "I was angry, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Alex turned to face his father. "Why were you angry, Daddy? What did I do?"

Draco got up and walked to Alex's chair. "You didn't do anything, Alex," he said, kneeling by his son. "I wasn't angry with you."

"Were you angry at Hermione, then? You were yelling at her and using bad words too. What did she do?"

"You could hear that?" Draco asked, to which Alex nodded. Draco sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Looking back at Alex, he picked his son up and sat in his chair, putting Alex in his lap.

"I wasn't angry at Hermione either. She hasn't done anything wrong. In fact, she's done everything right and I can't imagine our lives without her," Draco responded honestly, staring out of the window.

Alex looked up at his father. "Then why were you yelling at her? And why were you angry? I don't like it when you yell, Dad. It reminds me of you and mum."

Sighing again, Draco looked back at his son. "I was yelling at her like I yelled at you. I was taking my anger out on her, and I shouldn't have done that, not on her and not on you. The truth is, Alex, I was angry with myself."

"Why? What did you do?" Alex asked, turning around to face his father completely.

Draco took Alex's hand in his own and squeezed it lightly. "You know that I love you son. And that I will always be there for you. It's you and me, against the world, right?"

"Right!" Alex exclaimed happily.

Smiling at his son's enthusiasm, Draco braced himself for his forthcoming revelations. "Alex, my life wasn't always like this though. This happy and comfortable. Before you were born, your dad was a completely different man."

"When you and mum were together?"

"Not quite. Before that. During…during the war. How much do you know about The Great War?"

"Loads! We started learning about that in school, but I read about it before in a book Hermione gave me. There was the bad wizard, Lord Voldewort—"

"Voldemort," Draco corrected, shuddering at his name.

"Yeah, Voldemort. And he had a lot of bad guys with him. They wanted to get rid of muggles and muggle-borns and everyone who wasn't pureblood. But then there was the good side, with Harry Potter. They killed the bad wizard and everything was good again."

"That's right, Alex."

"You were on the good side too weren't you Dad?" Alex asked. "Hermione was, and she said that you were too."

Draco ran his hands through his hair nervously. "Not always, Alex. Not at first."

Alex looked confused for a while, as he tried to process his father's words. "What?"

"At first, I was with the bad guys and the bad wizard," Draco explained and began rolling up his shirtsleeve. Alex looked down at the Dark Mark he recognized from the book, but had never seen on his father's arm. He ran his fingers over it, flinching away from the serpent's fangs.

"But why? Why were you with the bad guys?" he asked, tears forming in his eyes.

"Because of our name, Alex. The Malfoy name is one of the most ancient pureblood names of the Wizard community. There was never a Malfoy child born into the family who wasn't a pureblood. Before the time of Lord Voldemort and his plan to erase the world of non-magical people, Malfoy was the most feared name among muggle-borns and half-bloods. And once Voldemort came about, the Malfoys became his right-hand family because of the respect our name held within the pureblood community and the fear it caused within the rest of the world."

"Was Granddad with the bad guys too? And Grandmum?"

Draco looked down at him, wondering if he was mature enough to accept this. "Yes, they were. And because of my past, and your grandparents' pasts, and our ancestors' pasts, you lead a more complicated life than most 5 year olds. That was why I was angry. I didn't want you to find out about our past until you could understand it, but the media is more interested in getting their story than protecting a child."

"I'm not a child, Dad! I do understand it. You were bad, but then you were good, right? You went good in the end because you're not in Azkaban, and neither are Granddad or Grandmum. The book said that all of the bad guys that were still there when Voldemort died went to Azkaban. But you didn't."

Surprised by his son's maturity, Draco nodded. "Yes, Alex, I didn't go to Azkaban because I switched sides and became good. As did your grandparents. And that's why, when the war ended, we were pardoned. But despite our conversion and amendment of our old ways, some people still look at us like we're the Malfoy family of the war. Still pureblood elitists who hope the world will rid itself of muggle-borns."

"But that's just silly. What about Hermione? She's a muggle-born and she's one of the greatest witches we know. And you're friends with Harry Potter and the Weasleys, right? So you're different, right?"

"Yes, Alex. Times have changed, but some people still hold on to their prejudices against us. It may take some time for them to realize that we are different. In the meantime, I just want to surround you with people who love you for who you are and don't judge you because of your name."

"Like Hermione?" Alex asked.

"Like Hermione," Draco replied, staring out of the window again. _Too bad I've fucked it up with her_, he thought, remembering the harsh words he'd said to her. _I'd be surprised if she ever spoke to me again_.

"Just say sorry," Alex said after a while, breaking Draco out of his reverie.

"What?" he asked, startled.

"To Hermione. Just say that you're sorry and she'll be happy again. And then you'll be happy again."

"It doesn't work that way, Alex. It's not that easy. I said some things to her that were unforgivable. Besides, Malfoys don't know how to apologize," Draco responded, still stubborn.

Alex turned away from him disappointedly, climbing down from his lap. "I thought you changed. You're not the old Malfoy name anymore, you're the new one. The good one. You have to say sorry. We need her."

Draco looked at his son intently. "I've been thinking about doing something for a while, something important and life-changing. But I've been holding off because I wanted to talk to you about it first."

"What?" Alex asked, looking back at his father.

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. "I want to give this to Hermione. We both love her and I want to make her my wife and your mother. Do you want that too?"

Alex's eyes lit up excitedly. "Does that mean she'll stay with us all the time?"

"Yes," Draco replied.

"Yes!" Alex exclaimed, giving his dad a big hug.

"Yeah? You think she'll say yes?" he asked nervously.

"Of course, Dad," he reassured as Draco picked him up and began walking towards the door. "But you have to say sorry first!"

--

"I'm not his mother though, Gin. He's right about that," Hermione countered, sniffing into the pillow she held tight.

"That doesn't matter!" Ginny exclaimed angrily. "He's still a self-absorbed little prick who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him in the ass!"

"Hello to you too, Potter," Draco responded as he entered Hermione's flat with Alex.

"How dare you?" Ginny fumed, coming towards him.

"I'm here to talk to Granger if you don't mind," he began, putting Alex down and starting towards the couch where Hermione sat.

"Like hell I don't mind," Ginny continued, forgetting about the 5 year old standing beside her.

"Gin, it's all right," Hermione interrupted. "Would you mind looking after Alex for a moment? I don't want to have this conversation in front of him."

Ginny looked from Draco to Hermione, nodding tensely. Hermione led Draco to her bedroom, closing the door behind them.

"Granger, listen—" Draco began.

"No, Draco. You listen," Hermione interjected angrily. "You're right. I'm not Alex's mother. That honor goes to Pansy, who probably hasn't seen the boy since she lost him in Diagon Alley. But that doesn't mean that I don't love him as if he were my own son. So I don't appreciate you throwing that in my face like an insult, because you know that I would do anything to protect him."

Draco ran his hands through his hair, taking a seat on the edge of Hermione's bed. "I know, Granger. I know that. You're a better mother to him than Pansy ever was. You're the mother he deserved to have in the first place."

Hermione stared at Draco for a while, not sure what to say to that.

"I'm sorry," he said after a long pause. He walked over to her, looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry about what I said, and how I yelled at you. I shouldn't have done that, especially since you were right. I talked to Alex and explained my situation and my past to him and he took it better than I could have imagined."

She looked up at him, smiling skeptically. "You're sorry? I thought Malfoys don't apologize," she teased.

"Yes well, I'm a different kind of Malfoy now, aren't I? I'm the 'good one' according to Alex," he replied, smiling back.

"You can be when you want to," Hermione countered, hitting him lightly on the chest.

"Why do you put up with me, Granger?" he groaned, turning away from her. "She-Potter is exactly right, I'm a 'self-absorbed little prick.'"

"'Who wouldn't know a good thing if it bit him in the ass' was the full comment if I remember correctly," she added. "And her name is Ginny, idiot."

"See, that's exactly what I mean," he cried. "Why do you like me?"

"I love you, I have to like you," she teased, wrapping her arms around his waist. He turned around and stared at her as she looked up at him with a smile.

"Will you marry me?" he blurted out. She stepped back from him, shocked into silence.

Draco took this opportunity to get down on one knee and to pull out the ring he had shown Alex only moments before.

"I know it's only been a few months since we've been together, and I know I'm still working on not being the prat you once abhorred, but I also know that you are the best thing that could have happened to Alex and me, and I am not going to let you go."

Hermione looked from Draco, who was staring at her expectantly, to the beautiful diamond ring he held in his hand. Tears were streaming down her face but she made no sound in response.

"Will you be my wife and Alex's mum?" he asked again, his nerves evident on his aristocratic face.

Unable to speak through her tears, Hermione nodded.

"Yes?" Draco asked anxiously. As she nodded again, he leapt up and embraced her, kissing away her tears.

"Yes!" Alex shouted as he barged into the room. Now laughing, Hermione hugged Draco and Alex tightly, unwilling to let go.

Draco took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Hermione's finger. _This is much better than my dream_, she thought happily. The simplicity of the ring was perfect for her taste, but judging by the look on Draco's face, she was sure it was still highly expensive.

As Draco leaned in towards Hermione, Alex cried, "Please don't kiss!" The couple looked down at his pleading face. Smirking, Draco covered his son's face with his hand, leaning down once again to kiss his fiancé.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"Same here, love," he replied before pulling her into a searing kiss.

--

"And now we would like you all to stand up for our newlyweds first dance as a married couple. Dancing to the Weird Sisters _Can't Live Without Your Love_, welcome for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley!"

The reception hall roared with cheers as Ron and Parvati walked out onto the dance floor and the music began to play.

"Promise me our first dance as a married couple won't be to a song as sappy as this one, Granger," Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.

"Shhh! Don't ruin the moment, Draco," Hermione scolded, smiling happily at her friends. "It's a very sweet song."

"Women and weddings," Harry whispered, nudging him and staring at his own wife, who was in tears.

"Oh shut up," Ginny cried. "That's my brother out there. And your best friend, so you could show a little more emotion."

"Emotion? Gin, do you remember how your loving brother was at our wedding?" Harry asked incredulously. "He got sloshed out of his mind and hit on all of the bridesmaids. He's lucky I don't do the same to him."

"Lucky, is he?" she countered, glaring at him.

"I'm only joking, love," he replied diplomatically, rubbing her ever-growing stomach.

Draco rolled his eyes at the two, turning back to Hermione. "And promise me you won't turn me into a spineless nancy boy like Potter either."

Hermione laughed at this, leaning over to give him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. As the band invited all other couples to the dance floor, Hermione looked at Draco pleadingly.

"Come on," he relented, leading her to the floor and wrapping his arms around her.

Four sets of eyes followed them as they began to dance, swaying from side to side.

"Well done mate," Blaise congratulated Alex, raising his glass to him.

"I'll say," Lucius agreed, looking from the couple to his grandson sitting proudly between himself and his wife. "I never thought your father would look this happy."

"Here, here," Narcissa added, giving Alex a kiss on the forehead. "You were splendid."

--

"You realize once we're married, you can't call me Malfoy anymore," Draco pointed out as they moved on the dance floor.

"Why?" Hermione asked with a laugh. "Are you planning to change your name? Besides, I don't call you Malfoy anymore, Draco. You're the one who still calls me Granger."

"Yes, well, I won't be able to call you that once you become Mrs. Malfoy, now will I? And you do still call me Malfoy when you're mad at me. Can you imagine how confusing our arguments would get if both of us called the other Malfoy?"

Laughing again, Hermione looked up at him. "Actually, I'm thinking of going with Granger-Malfoy, so you can technically still call me Granger."

"What?" Draco asked in amazement. "You can't be serious. Once you're married, you must be a Malfoy."

"I must be?" she scoffed. "Don't tell me you're going to start an argument over this now. I've made up my mind, and I'm going to be Hermione Granger-Malfoy. You're lucky I'm even taking your name at all. Your ancestors will be rolling over in their graves."

"I don't give a damn about my ancestors. You have to change your name," he insisted. "What if we have children, what will their name be?"

"Granger-Malfoy," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed. "My children will carry on the Malfoy name."

"They will carry on the Malfoy name, but they will carry on my name as well," she retorted.

"No child of mine will be a Granger-Malfoy. My child will be a Malfoy, and so will my wife," he stated decisively.

Hermione's eyes flashed dangerously. "So what, our children won't have any connection to me?" she asked.

"No connection to you? Granger, you'll be shooting them out, how much more of a connection do you want?" he cried, exasperated.

"'Shooting them out?' That's a lovely way of putting it, Malfoy," she fumed.

"Hah!" he yelled victoriously, forgetting they were in the middle of a wedding. "You do still call me Malfoy!"

--

Alex smiled to himself as he watched his father and his soon-to-be mother dance in each others' arms.

"We're going to live happily ever after," he announced to his godfather and grandparents. As he looked back at the couple, who were now obviously arguing, and loudly at that, he frowned, shaking his head disapprovingly. _Well, sort of_, he thought with a shrug.

--

**Aww, it's over now. But I've decided to add an epilogue, because I just got an idea for one. I hope you guys liked it, and that it didn't get too sappy at the end there. This story started out just for fun, but you guys responded so well to it that I felt obligated to finish it. And I'm glad you put that pressure on me, because I think I would have given up midway if you all hadn't reviewed so frequently and sent me so many messages. I'm really proud of this story and I'm glad you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. **

**Lots of love, grednforge.**


	17. Epilogue: Some Things Never Change

**Now it's really over. Thanks again for all of the support and the reviews, guys. I've had a blast!**

**--**

**Epilogue: Some Things Never Change**

Hermione put down her morning cup of coffee to open the window, and the large tawny owl that had been perched on the windowsill flew gracefully into the living room. She took the letter from its beak and gave it a small snack and a Sickle, sending it on its way.

_Finally_, she thought anxiously, ripping open the envelope, her eyes running over the letter rapidly.

Mum and Dad,

Hogwarts is amazing! Even after reading _Hogwarts, A History _and listening to all of your stories, I can't believe how incredible the castle and the professors are. Everything is magical, even the horse-less carriages that brought us from the train station!

_I hope you're never able to see the 'horses' that pull the carriages, love_, she thought sadly, remembering the deaths she witnessed that allowed her to see thestrals.

The Great Hall is beautiful. I'm going to learn how to charm the ceiling in my bedroom to look like the sky as well. I saw Aunt Ginny, and Aunt Minerva too. They were both crying a lot, like you did when I left, Mum. I don't understand why girls cry so much, it's not as though you'll never see me again.

I started my studies, and I'm already at the top of my class. Aunt Minerva says that I'm going to follow in your footsteps as the smartest wizard in Hogwarts, Mum. Aunt Ginny says that I'm going to follow in Dad's footsteps as the biggest heartthrob in Hogwarts, but I hope not because girls are weird. No offense, Mum.

Well, hopefully this letter will make you feel better now that I'm gone. Don't miss me too much.

_Not likely, _Hermione thought, sniffling.

And give Elle a kiss for me. I promise to write often.

Love,

Alex

P.S. – Sorry Mum, but I was sorted into Slytherin. I am a Malfoy, after all.

Laughing, Hermione read and reread the letter until she had it memorized. Sighing contentedly, she walked over to Alex's empty room. Looking around at the scattered toys and books he left behind, she was overcome by another wave of grief.

"You're not crying again, are you Granger?"

Hermione frowned and turned towards Draco, who had just entered the room.

Seeing his wife's depressed mood, Draco dropped his smirk and walked over to her. "He's gone to school, love. He hasn't died or anything."

"I know, Draco. I just miss him," she sniffed, wiping her tears.

"Me too. I think Elle does as well, because she woke up wailing," he said, looking down at the baby girl in his arms, who was now cooing softly and playing with his fingers.

Hermione watched as Draco played with their daughter, smiling softly. Elle was the perfect mix of Hermione and Draco, with soft, auburn curls and strikingly blue eyes. Although she was only 5 months, her parents had high hopes for her magical abilities, as she was the daughter of two of the most powerful wizards in the world.

"Is that letter from Alex?" Draco asked, noticing the paper in Hermione's hands.

"Hmm? Oh yes," she replied shiftily.

"And?" he pressed, raising his eyebrows knowingly.

Hermione frowned and crossed her arms. "Slytherin," she hissed, narrowing her eyes as her husband smirked smugly.

"Don't start!" she interrupted as he opened his mouth to speak. "And don't say 'I told you so!' If you say that, you lose the bet anyway."

"Fine," he conceded. "But tonight, you have to fulfill the terms of the bet to my heart's content. No backing out now, Granger," he added, staring at her lustily.

"Stop looking at me like that," she scolded playfully. Elle, who had finally realized her mother was in the room, began cooing loudly, stretching her arms towards Hermione. She picked up Elle from her father's arms and began walking towards the kitchen, Draco hot on her heels.

"So your mother flooed earlier," she began as she warmed up a bottle for Elle.

Groaning, Draco poured himself a cup of coffee. "Nothing good can come from this."

Hermione laughed softly, settling into a dining chair and feeding her daughter. "She wants us to come to dinner again this Friday. She said she enjoyed having us over the other night and she would like to make our dinners a regular event."

"You told her no though, right?" Draco asked desperately.

"No, why would I?" she teased, laughing at the horrified look on his face. "I told her that it was a good idea, however weekly dinners may not be feasible. She suggested twice a month, and I agreed to that."

"Twice a month?" he repeated, lowering his head to the counter.

"Yes, I thought it was a good compromise. That would give Narcissa and Lucius time to play with Elle, and I think you can spare a few hours a month to spend with your parents," she reasoned. "Besides, I think I'm only a few dinners away from getting Lucius to like me," she added with a smile.

Draco snorted. "Don't get your hopes up. I've been waiting 30 years for that man to like me. So far, I think the only people he actually likes are my mother, Alex, and Elle. Everyone else he just tolerates, barely. Although he did dance with you at our wedding, so he may even like you more than he likes me."

Laughing, Hermione finished feeding Elle and set her down in her swing in the living room. The couple sat down on the couch together, watching their daughter laugh while swinging back and forth.

"Do you ever think that this is weird?" Hermione asked all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" Draco questioned, turning towards her.

"You and me. Together. Married, with a son and a daughter," she explained. "I mean, if someone had told me when the war ended, that only a decade later I would be Hermione Granger-Malfoy, I would've recommended them to the war damages ward of St. Mungo's."

Draco thought about her words for a while. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he shrugged, "Things change."

"Not much has changed, Draco," she sighed, putting her head on his shoulder. "I'm still a 'know-it-all bookworm,' as you put it so eloquently, and you're still a smarmy prat when you want to be. We fight day in and day out. I mean, you still call me 'Granger' Draco!"

"I'd rather spend my life fighting with you than sitting in silence with any other woman," he replied, looking down at her.

Smiling, Hermione turned to face him. "That was so corny," she teased as she leaned in and gave him a kiss.

Draco deepened the kiss, pulling Hermione closer to him and running his hands through her hair. As she pulled away in need of air, he began kissing her jaw line to her ear. Nibbling on the lobe he whispered, "Plus, the sex is bloody fantastic."

"There's the Malfoy I know and love," she sighed, pulling back to look at him. His eyes, once blue, were now stormy gray with lust as he stared at her hungrily. Even after all of these years, one look from him could make her weak in the knees.

His sex drive hadn't lessened remotely as they entered their fifth year of marriage. If anything, it increased as his love for his wife grew. Time had been kind to both, for Draco's aristocratic face became more distinguished with age. Motherhood had filled Hermione out, giving her graceful curves that her husband couldn't take his eyes off of, or keep his hands off of for that matter.

As he leaned in to resume their 'activities,' Hermione stopped him, looking over at their daughter who was watching her parents intently. Smiling at the look of wonder and confusion on Elle's face, Draco settled for a demure kiss on Hermione's lips before he got up and brought his daughter to the couch. Excited to be the center of attention once again, she immediately began giggling and cooing, reaching out to her parents.

Draco watched as Hermione kissed Elle's tiny fists, her tummy, and all over her face. Smiling softly, he looked over at the family portrait they had placed on the mantle, taken only a month before Alex left for Hogwarts. Staring at the picture of his son, and Alex's uncanny resemblance to Draco himself at that age, his smile turned into a smirk.

"What are you smirking at?" Hermione asked apprehensively, knowing that an argument was brewing.

"Slytherin," he replied simply, shaking his head. "He's going to be just like me."

Hermione frowned at him, looking at the picture Draco had stared at moments ago. "I hope not," she grumbled. "Or at least not like you during Hogwarts."

"I agree with you there," he admitted, earning a surprised look from Hermione.

She smiled at him, remembering again why this "weird" situation came about. "I guess some things do change," she conceded, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Elle fussed loudly, bringing Hermione and Draco to focus on her again. She began to babble animatedly, eliciting laughs out of her parents.

"At least Elle will be in Gryffindor, won't you baby?" Hermione cooed, tickling her belly.

"She most certainly will not," Draco cried with an affronted expression. "She's a Malfoy, therefore she will be in Slytherin."

"You forget, dear Draco, that she is not only a Malfoy. She's a Granger too," she reminded him. "And a Granger-Malfoy will definitely be in Gryffindor."

"She is not a Granger-Malfoy!" he exclaimed heatedly.

"Only because you wouldn't let me give her my name," she retorted.

"Of course not," he stated. "It's bad enough that you, my own wife, is not a Malfoy, but a _Granger-_Malfoy. Our child will not suffer the burden of a hyphenated name."

"You are so stubborn," Hermione scoffed, pulling her hair out of Elle's firm grasp. "And such a drama queen."

Ignoring the fact that she had just called him a 'queen,' Draco continued his rant. "Well you are so sneaky. Don't think I don't know your plan. As soon as she goes to school, she'll realize that Helena Alexis Granger-Malfoy is way too long a name to write and she'll drop the end of the hyphen, losing all connection to me. Sneaky, Granger, but you forgot that you are married to the Slytherin King."

"Slytherin King?" she repeated with a laugh. "So what does that make me?"

"My queen," he growled, kissing her again. Lifting Elle out of Hermione's arms and over his head, he smiled as she laughed excitedly. "And you, my little angel, are going to be a Slytherin Princess."

"My foot!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling still. "She'll be a Gryffindor Princess if anything. If you keep calling her 'angel' and 'princess' all the time, she's going to grow up spoiled."

"Why shouldn't she be spoiled?" he asked, hugging her as she tried to grab his nose. "She's the most beautiful little baby in the world and as her father, I have every right to spoil her rotten."

"Turn her into Daddy's little girl, won't you?" she teased, lying down on the oversized couch.

"You've turned Alex into a Mama's boy, so I'm claiming Elle as my little girl," he retorted childishly, lying beside her with Elle on his stomach.

Laughing again, Hermione turned on her side and wrapped her arms around her husband and daughter. Glancing back at the portrait where Alex was looking down at them, she couldn't help but feel that he had planned this from the beginning.

_Smart kid, that Alex_, she thought with a smile.

**--**

**C'est fini! Thanks again for reading.**

**--grednforge**


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